Social media is abuzz with allegations that the stars of Universal Pictures’ upcoming film “Wicked” film are competing to see who can be the skinniest, with claims that they are purposely starving themselves.
Ariana Grande, 31, and Cynthia Erivo, 37, attended the Los Angeles premiere of “Wicked” on Nov. 9 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where their unusually slim physiques sparked a wave of concern and online chatter.
Some fans even described their look as “anorexic.”
Reactions on the X platform were swift, with one person tweeting, “No hate…just to ask one question…we’re they starving during the filming process or what??”
Another remarked, “They’re having a skinny-off.”
The comments didn’t stop there.
One X user asked, “What is going on…they look near death starvation.”
“They look terrible. Ariana looks unhealthily skinny,” another person wrote, while another shared, “I love ariana so much but shes so thin lately [sad face emoji] ed (eating disorder) girlys know what eds look like i hope she’s doing okay.”
They’re having a skinny-off
— GuppyTrades (@guppy_trades) November 10, 2024
However, not everyone agreed with the harsh assessments. Some fans defended the actors, with one supporter commenting, “People saying Ariana made Cynthia Erivo anorexic omg you guys are in desperate need for therapy and the love of a mother.”
Although both women are known to be naturally slender, and Erivo is a known fitness enthusiast, the visible change in their appearances cannot be denied.
Ariana Grande’s transformation appears even more extreme, with drastic changes to her appearance occurring within a few months. Fans noticed she looked rather thin in photos of her posing in a squat back in February as shown below.
The promotion of the movie was marred by more than just concerns over the ladies’ appearances.
Erivo also faced backlash for her response to a viral fan edit of the film’s promotional poster, which altered the image to resemble the original Broadway poster.
The Grammy award-singer voiced her disappointment, stating, “This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting… Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face & hide my eyes is to erase me. That is just deeply hurtful.”
A fan countered this criticism, suggesting, “They just edited it to mirror the original poster, I highly doubt they meant any harm in doing so.”
Cynthia Erivo has reacted to viral edits of the ‘WICKED’ poster:
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 16, 2024
“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful AI of us fighting… Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face & hide my eyes is to erase me. That is just deeply hurtful” pic.twitter.com/y3P1Qh379S
Adding to the movie’s promotional challenges, Mattel faced backlash after mistakenly printing an NSFW website URL on the packaging for its “Wicked” dolls, causing a surge in unintended website visits and raising concern among parents, according to Bored Panda.
All the drama around the “Wicked” movie’s premiere has definitely stirred things up, but fans are still excited to see Grande and Erivo bring Glinda and Elphaba to life on the big screen.
While the talk right now is all about their looks, the poster controversy, and that odd Mattel mistake, many are hopeful that once the movie hits theaters, the spotlight will shift to what really matters — the magic, music, and unforgettable story of Oz told in a new way.
