Weekend: “Freaky Tutus” Are About to Take Over 🩰

The devil works hard, but Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo work harder. At least, to promote Wicked. Although it (somehow still) doesn’t hit theaters until November 22, the duo — whose lengthy, method-dressing-infused press tour has included “Oz-inspired red carpet looks,” a Met Gala performance, lookalike Mattel dolls, and an extremely on-brand visit to the Olympics — remains deeply committed to the bit. Their latest stop on the yellow brick road? Vanity Fair, where the stars did a photoshoot in haute couture. The adorable real-life friends also took the magazine’s infamous lie detector test during a banter-filled Q&A that’s racked up over 1.7 million views. And unlike most scripted celeb conversations, we learned…a lot. Notably: Grande admitted she doesn’t always like her fans (“sometimes they can hurt my feelings”), addressed plastic surgery rumors (please take a moment to appreciate her BBL commentary), and went viral for her moon-landing take. (She does have a song called “NASA,” after all.) 

That would’ve satisfied us enough. But Grande didn’t stop there. In her interview with VF, she defended criticism over her voice “change” (specifically, accusations of developing a fake accent à la Hilaria Baldwin) and the double-standards successful female artists face. But perhaps most surprisingly, the singer opened up for the first time about her relationship with Mr. SpongeBob (aka, her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater) and the backlash they’ve received. Despite the rumors of her now-boyfriend cheating and leaving his family for her (see: this extensive timeline for a refresher of the drama), Grande made a point to stick up for her man, saying: “There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bullsh*t tabloid can rewrite in real life.” Will Slater and Grande make their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere? Who knows, but then again, there’s always the Wicked: Part Two press tour in 2025, which — *checks calendar* — should be starting any day now.