Out.com questioned Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s thoughts about LGBTQ+ fans ‘holding space’ with the ‘Defying Gravity’ song from ‘Wicked’ in a November 19 interview. As Erivo gave an emotional reaction to the track’s impact, Grande showed support by holding her finger and gently tapping on it.
The moment quickly spread across social media with fans sharing and recreating the exchange. But Grande recently admitted that she was confused during that chat.
“She said something that meant something to her, then it meant something totally different to [Erivo], and then she tried to kind of get somewhere else,” the actress explained to Variety. “I remember in the moment asking myself, ‘Am I okay? Did I not hear something?’ because she looks like she was about to cry again.”
And she held her co-star’s finger “because I [thought] you might need something.” “I don’t know what the tapping was about,” Grande continued, as Erivo jokingly added, “Tension, tension.”
Ariana Grande starred as Glinda the Good Witch in Jon M. Chu’s ‘Wicked’ adaptation while Cynthia Erivo played Elphaba the Wicked Witch. The film saw release on November 22, with the second part set to hit theaters on November 21, 2025.
