Ariana Grande Got Emotional While Discussing Body-Shaming Comments

The Wicked press tour has already given us so much: themed ensembles, happy tears on the red carpet, and cameos from Broadway legends. Luckily, stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo still aren’t done. One of their latest stops included a moving sit-down with the French journalist and content creator Sally, whose earnest question about societal pressure to “always look perfect” brought Grande to tears as she shared an important message.

The trio’s connection seemed effortless from the early on in the interview. Within a few minutes of starting, Erivo told Sally they could see she was “beautiful” inside. The good vibes continued when Sally noted that Grande’s character, Glinda, internalizes outside pressure to look “perfect” and asked what it’s been like for the star to cope with similar pressures in her own life.

“My goodness,” Grande said as the question sank in and she teared up. She took a moment to compose herself — with Erivo offering support and reassurance — then added, “It’s just… a good question, because I’ve been doing this in front of the public and been a specimen in a petri dish, really, since I was 16 or 17.”

“I have heard it all,” Grande continued. “I have heard every version of it, of what’s wrong with me, and then you fix it and it’s wrong for different reasons.”

The singer-actor added that “it’s hard to protect yourself from that noise,” even if it’s not the large-scale public scrutiny she faces. Addressing the problem broadly, she said, “I think in today’s society, there is a comfortability that we shouldn’t have, at all, commenting on others’ looks, appearance, what they think is going on behind the scenes, or health, or how they present themselves. From what you’re wearing, to your body, to your face, to your everything.”

Grande added, “I think it’s dangerous for all parties involved. And I think that I’m really lucky to have the support system that I have and to just know and trust that I am beautiful.” Then, she ended on an impassioned note, saying, “No one has the right to say sh*t.”

Shutting Down Critics

Grande addressed the public scrutiny of her body in the past. While she was working on Wicked in April 2023, she made a TikTok about the comments she’d been seeing about her weight. She responded to the idea that she was healthier when she wasn’t as “skinny” in 2018 by reminding critics “there are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful” and giving more context about what was going on in her life at the time. She also urged fans to be “less comfortable” talking about people’s bodies and health.

In her recent interview with Sally, she said she now blocks out the noise. “I just don’t invite it in anymore,” she said. “It’s not welcome. I have work to do, I have a life to live, I have friends to love on, I have so much love, and it’s not invited, so I don’t leave space for it anymore.”