Jonathan Bailey proved his bond with Wicked co-star Ariana Grande can’t be broken as he cheered her on during her performance in London this week.
The British actor, 38, was due to reunite with the American pop star for a London stage production of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican Center in the summer of 2027, but Ariana suddenly pulled out of the show earlier this month.
But proving there are no hard feelings, a smiling Jonathan was spotted dancing the night away at the singer’s performance at the O2 in London on Thursday.
Videos captured by fans showed Jonathan, who played Fiyero in Wicked, beaming on stage and dancing and singing along as his co-star performed on her Eternal Sunshine tour.
“Fiyero still shows up for Glinda off-script,” one fan wrote, while another said, “The way he still shows up for her after everything is honestly so sweet that the guy is a real one.”
Earlier this month, Ariana’s team announced that she had decided to leave her lead role in the London production of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican Centre.
Jonathan Bailey proved his bond with Wicked co-star Ariana Grande can’t be broken as he cheered her on during her London performance this week
She was set to reunite with Jonathan for the anticipated show, but producers confirmed in a statement that she had decided to pull out, adding, “we know this could not have been an easy decision.”
The statement confirmed that production will go ahead and open as planned at the Barbican in summer 2027, with casting ‘announced in due course’.
Ariana has insisted her break from the spotlight was planned ‘a long time ago’, telling fans that ‘boundaries needed to be set’ in a defiant on-stage statement.
A day after it was announced she was taking a ‘break’ after her Eternal Sunshine tour ended in September, amid ‘ongoing investigation’, the star said broke her silence during her concert Chicago.
She was keen to clarify to fans that her break was “quietly planned” a long time ago, before insisting the decision wasn’t made because “negativity ruined things for me.”
Ariana explained on stage that “multiple things can be true at the same time. Yes, boundaries must be set. People may need a break sometimes.”
She added that her tour, which she began in North America in June and will end with 10 shows in London in September, “will remain the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.”
“Sometimes when a story comes out that doesn’t come directly from me, things can get a little blown out of proportion,” Ariana began in her onstage speech. “So I just wanted to talk directly to my fans tonight because I love you so much. The announcement made yesterday was not reactive or impulsive.”
“It’s something I decided to plan for and quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and powerful place. And I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time.”
“I want to share this because I heard my fans were worried that negativity would ruin things for me, but I have to say it couldn’t be more the opposite. Frankly, this is not what that is.”
“And I want to be very, very clear: multiple things can be true at the same time. Yes, boundaries must be set. People may need a break sometimes. And this can and will be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life.’
“No matter what sounds exist, nothing will ever warp my reality or be more real or detailed to me than this love we share,” she gushed to fans from the stage.
“The rest of that s**t ain’t mine to wear, so I ain’t wearing it. I have to go here and separate that from my truth for all of you, because I love you and this tour has been the most healing, beautiful, corrective, magnificent, extraordinary experience of my life.”
The British actor, 38, was due to reunite with the American pop star for a London stage production of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican Center in the summer of 2027, but Ariana suddenly pulled out of the show this month (pictured in Wicked)
Concerns first arose over whether Sunday in the Park with George would go ahead when ticket sales were halted earlier this summer.
Fears were said to be growing that Ariana, who had just started her tour in America, would be ‘oversubscribed’ and that eight theater shows a week would be too demanding for the star.
A source close to Ariana’s camp confirmed to the Daily Mail at the time that “there’s no doubt she’s still doing it.”
They added, “The show is still happening, but ticket sales have been pushed back to September due to her tour and album release schedule.”
She will also reportedly skip promotion for her upcoming film Focker-in-Law, which is set to hit theaters in November.
Insiders have insisted that Ariana will finish her tour and that this will be ‘her last gift to fans’.
A source told The Sun: ‘She’s performing every night and getting rave reviews and having a great time, regardless of what people say on TikTok and Instagram.
“Her decision to step away is her own and she is doing it at the right time for her.”
