Recommendations of the Editorial team
The extensive press tour for Wicked: Part 2 is coming to an end and now Ariana Grande has announced that she has tested positive for Covid-19. Just days earlier, Cynthia Erivos was reportedly feeling “unwell” ahead of the film’s premiere in New York.
On Thursday (November 20), the singer posted a photo to her Instagram Story of herself doing a twirling pole on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. There is also the comment “Shortly before Covid”.
Grande’s brief mention of the diagnosis was followed by a countdown to the release of the second Wicked film in the US on Friday (November 21). The musician has not disclosed any further information about her health.
At the New York premiere of “Wicked: Part 2” she had already canceled interviews in solidarity with Cynthia Erivo. Her fellow actress lost her voice during the premiere and “didn’t feel well.” According to Variety, Grande also canceled her appearances with Erivo on The Kelly Clarkson Show and Q&A discussions about the film scheduled for next week.
Press tour with incidents
The press tour for “Wicked: Part 2” has been marked by several incidents in recent weeks: Grande was unable to attend the first premiere in Brazil due to “security issues” and flight delays. “My team and Universal tried everything to resolve the issue. We checked all other flights… but there was absolutely nothing that would get us there on time,” Grande said at the time.
During the premiere in Singapore, Grande was attacked by a man. He was later arrested and charged with disturbing public order. According to The Straits Times, 26-year-old Australian Johnson Wen pounced on Grande during the premiere. Wen was captured on video jumping over security barriers as Grande and her co-stars walked the red carpet. He appeared to aggressively grab Grande and pull her into a hug. Cynthia Erivo then pushed Wen away from Grande.