{"id":2227469,"date":"2026-10-29T13:51:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T10:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2227469"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:51:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T10:51:51","slug":"cynthia-erivo-says-her-close-bond-with-ariana-grande-was-a-double-edged-sword","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2227469","title":{"rendered":"Cynthia Erivo Says Her Close Bond With Ariana Grande Was a &#8216;Double-Edged Sword&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/0b\/16by9\/2026\/10\/29\/0bc4f327591c4b18bc88c277161caf0f_xl.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"article article--permalink \">\n<header class=\"article__header\">\n<h1 class=\"article__header--headline-title\">Cynthia Erivo Says Her Close Bond With Ariana Grande Was a &#8216;Double-Edged Sword&#8217;<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article__header--headline-fragments\"><span class=\"article__header--hf1 text-uppercase h3\">Cynthia Erivo On Ariana Grande<\/span><span class=\"article__header--hf2 text-uppercase h1\">Our Close Bond Is &#8216;Double-Edged Sword&#8217;<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"social-media-container\" role=\"region\">\n<ul class=\"social social--sm\">\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\"><\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tmz.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"google-preferred-btn js-track-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"google-preferred-btn__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/static.tmz.com\/tmz-web\/img\/article\/google-icon.svg\" alt=\"Google\" loading=\"lazy\"><span class=\"google-preferred-btn__title\">Add TMZ on Google<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/pages\/about\/\">TMZ Staff<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"date-wrapper\">\n                                                                        Published <time class=\"published-datetime\" datetime=\"2026-10-29T06:51:51-07:00\"><br \/>\n                              October 29, 2026<br \/>\n                            6:51 AM PDT<\/time><span class=\"divider\">|<\/span><br \/>\n                                                                Updated <time class=\"updated-datetime\" datetime=\"2026-10-29T09:40:21-07:00\"><br \/>\n                                  October 29, 2026<br \/>\n                                9:40 AM PDT<\/time><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article__blocks clearfix\">\n<section id=\"cb-c66f8e4b8817521df1684c9b061fec95\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  canvas-block-is-first \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20261029_0bc4f327591c4b18bc88c277161caf0f\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/0b\/4by3\/2026\/10\/29\/0bc4f327591c4b18bc88c277161caf0f_md.jpg\" alt=\"ariana grande and cyntia erivo getty 1\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-38a6772ce317d419a35b713df8e678e3\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/people\/cynthia-erivo\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>Cynthia Erivo<\/strong><\/a> is finally addressing all the negative gossip over her off-screen relationship with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/people\/ariana-grande\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>Ariana Grande<\/strong><\/a> &#8230; calling their friendship a &#8220;double-edged sword.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-20eb7b348601fb6155d08ddcea0dcfbf\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>The actress sat down for an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/2026\/oct\/27\/cynthia-erivo-interview-prima-facie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>The Guardian<\/strong><\/a> and, at one point, she discussed her close bond with Ariana that formed as the two did press tours for their 2024 and 2025 movies, &#8220;Wicked&#8221; and &#8220;Wicked: For Good.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-cfd3d423cacc191076e27e422373e18a\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20261029_1daf52c6ab7f4ee8a27533729f23c3d8\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/1d\/4by3\/2026\/10\/29\/1daf52c6ab7f4ee8a27533729f23c3d8_md.jpg\" alt=\"ariana grande and cyntia erivo getty 3\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-3054b0a4c28b8549770643dcde71d24f\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Cynthia said she found it interesting that many people became amateur psychologists studying the actresses&#8217; relationship from their couches. She felt that it was weird those people were &#8220;annoyed&#8221; that &#8220;two women could actually be friends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-d97eb5db8357f74a358fb974ac39b830\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>She also said people questioned whether their emotional bond was real and couldn&#8217;t understand why they were crying and laughing together and being &#8220;emotive&#8221; and &#8220;alive.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-79dfe009f0987e1f2d50eb76189878d9\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-gallery-block canvas-gallery-block-permalink canvas-gallery-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"gallery-block\"><a id=\"gallery-link-316ddbcd-f49c-40d2-bf3b-5a902fc22cf3\" class=\"media-link gallery-block__link js-track-link js-click-gallery\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/photos\/2026\/10\/29\/ariana-grande-and-cynthia-erivo-together\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:gallery:316ddbcd-f49c-40d2-bf3b-5a902fc22cf3\" data-context=\"{&quot;name&quot;:&quot;gallery-block&quot;,&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;}\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-gallery-layout=\"list\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/17\/4by3\/2026\/10\/29\/17fd94a5c41d4fdf84f5c77b3a7acdb9_md.jpg\" alt=\"Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Together\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid gallery-block__img-fluid img-aspect-4by3\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"media-icon--overlay gallery-block__media-icon--overlay\"><span class=\"media-icon-label gallery-block__media-icon-label\">Launch Gallery<\/span><\/div>\n<footer class=\"media-footer gallery-block__media-footer\"><span class=\"media-launch-text gallery-block__media-launch-text\">Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Together<\/span><span class=\"media-cta gallery-block__media-cta\"><br \/>\n              Launch Gallery<br \/>\n              <\/span><\/footer>\n<p><span class=\"media-credit gallery-block__media-credit\">Shutterstock<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-4bb70bbb78e41279a78892b64ae0a1ca\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Cynthia characterized the overall response from these people as a &#8220;double-edged sword,&#8221; saying that &#8220;if we were dead behind the eyes and showing no emotion, there would have been something else to say about it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-51ff3d8ff843cfb548fe90351f14f7fc\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  canvas-block-is-last \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>She added that it would have been helpful if both stars had been instructed on how to properly balance their emotional expression.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<ul class=\"social social--permalink\">\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><a class=\"btn social__btn social__btn--facebook js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/10\/29\/cynthia-erivo-defends-ariana-grande-friendship\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;facebook-footer&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:1}\"><br \/>\n                Share<span class=\"social__hide-sm\"> on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><a class=\"btn social__btn social__btn--x js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/10\/29\/cynthia-erivo-defends-ariana-grande-friendship\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;twitter-footer&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:2}\"><br \/>\n                Share<span class=\"social__hide-sm\"> on X<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"related-articles\">\n<header class=\"card-section-header related-articles__card-section-header\">\n<h3 class=\"card-section-title related-articles__card-section-title\">\n              Related articles<br \/>\n            <\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"row related-articles__row\">\n<div class=\"col related-articles__col\">\n<article class=\"related-articles__card\"><a class=\"related-articles__card-link js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/10\/06\/cynthia-erivo-called-sunny-hostin-over-her-cornell-comment\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;related-article&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:1}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-img ratio\">\n<div class=\"ratio-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/ae\/16by9\/2026\/10\/06\/ae915a31562b485e8bee739b2a836bd6_xs.png\" alt=\"100626_sunny_hostin_PRIMARY\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-body\">\n<h4 class=\"related-articles__card-title\">\n                        Cynthia Erivo Called Sunny Hostin Over Her Cornell 7 Opinion<br \/>\n                      <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col related-articles__col\">\n<article class=\"related-articles__card\"><a class=\"related-articles__card-link js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/08\/16\/ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-wicked-reunion-london\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;related-article&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:2}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-img ratio\">\n<div class=\"ratio-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/6a\/16by9\/2026\/08\/16\/6a7b15aa9f164b66abd3b215953636e5_xs.jpg\" alt=\"main-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-getty-1\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-body\">\n<h4 class=\"related-articles__card-title\">\n                        Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo Reunite Onstage at London Concert<br \/>\n                      <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col related-articles__col\">\n<article class=\"related-articles__card\"><a class=\"related-articles__card-link js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/05\/27\/cynthia-erivo-awkward-interview\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;related-article&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:3}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-img ratio\">\n<div class=\"ratio-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/bf\/16by9\/2026\/05\/27\/bf21d4a4212e437d9bcf6ba62a2016ae_xs.jpg\" alt=\"cynthia erivo wicked getty comp\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-body\">\n<h4 class=\"related-articles__card-title\">\n                        Cynthia Erivo Says She Doesn&#8217;t Want to Talk About &#8216;Wicked&#8217; Anymore<br \/>\n                      <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col related-articles__col\">\n<article class=\"related-articles__card\"><a class=\"related-articles__card-link js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/02\/15\/cynthia-erivo-addresses-ariana-grande-romance-rumors\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:98c3face-2fff-4148-9da7-8ef2c79f5710\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;related-article&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:4}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-img ratio\">\n<div class=\"ratio-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/f7\/16by9\/2026\/02\/15\/f79f998cd53343169ac3660154a8eb83_xs.jpg\" alt=\"Cynthia-Erivo-ariana-grande-main-getty-1\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-body\">\n<h4 class=\"related-articles__card-title\">\n                        Cynthia Erivo Addresses Rumors She and Ariana Grande Were &#8216;Lovers&#8217;<br \/>\n                      <\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"tag-cloud\">\n<ul class=\"tag-cloud__list-group\"><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/people\/cynthia-erivo\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:1}\"><br \/>\n                Cynthia Erivo<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/people\/ariana-grande\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:2}\"><br \/>\n                Ariana Grande<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/categories\/movie-stars\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:3}\"><br \/>\n                Movie Stars<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/categories\/celebrity-news\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:4}\"><br \/>\n                Celebrity News<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/categories\/musicians\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:5}\"><br \/>\n                Musicians<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/categories\/relationships\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:6}\"><br \/>\n                Relationships<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/categories\/viral\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:7}\"><br \/>\n                Viral<br \/>\n              <\/a><a class=\"tag-cloud__list-group-item js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/categories\/wicked\/\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;tag-cloud&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:8}\"><br \/>\n                Wicked<br \/>\n              <\/a><\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/10\/29\/cynthia-erivo-defends-ariana-grande-friendship\/&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/0b\/16by9\/2026\/10\/29\/0bc4f327591c4b18bc88c277161caf0f_xl.jpg&#8221;] Cynthia Erivo Says Her Close Bond With Ariana Grande Was a &#8216;Double-Edged Sword&#8217; Cynthia Erivo On Ariana GrandeOur Close Bond Is &#8216;Double-Edged Sword&#8217; Add TMZ on Google By TMZ Staff Published October 29, 2026 6:51 AM PDT| Updated October 29, 2026 9:40 AM PDT Getty Cynthia Erivo is finally addressing all the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,77],"class_list":["post-2227469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tmz-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2227469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227469\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2227469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2227469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2227469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}