UPDATE: 11/4/25 at 6 p.m. ET — Ariana Grande posted and deleted a statement condemning ill wishes toward her and her costars after revealing she would be missing the Wicked: For Good premiere in São Paulo, Brazil.
“Please don’t wish danger on us,” Grande, 32, wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post, per People, hours after she told her followers her plane experienced a “safety issue” and could not take off on time on Tuesday, November 4.
“We did everything we could and I promise you no one is more upset than I am, I promise,” the post continued. “No matter how upset or disappointed you are, please please do not wish danger on us or assume that we didn’t try .. there was no other time for me to leave and these plans have been booked for months.”
Grande said that she wrapped another film — Focker In-Law — on October 31 and “worked all day the 1st and the 2nd as well” just as her other costars did. She noted that she was scheduled to leave for São Paulo at the same time as her castmates.
“It just so happened that this plane had a safety problem and I have explained why finding another option was impossible,” Grande wrote, adding that she has “been looking forward” to the premiere for a year. “Sending lots of love to you all. I hope it’s a beautiful and safe night. I love Brazil, I always have, I always will.”
In another Instagram Story, Grande tagged director Jon M. Chu and costars Jonathan Bailey and Cynthia Erivo, writing, “Now please go and have a beautiful time celebrating these absolutely brilliant and magnificent human beings and performances tonight. I am with you in spirit! I love you so much.”
Original story below:
Ariana Grande was heartbroken to announce that she will not be attending the Wicked: For Good premiere in São Paulo, Brazil, with the rest of her costars.
“Brazil, I can’t believe this is happening and I am beyond devastated to be sending this message,” Grande, 32, wrote via an Instagram Story on Tuesday, November 4. “A few hours ago, my team and I had to deplane our flight, as they had to do maintenance on the plane due to a safety issue and it will not be taking off until 11am tomorrow which means that I would not be making it in time for the Wicked For Good São Paulo premiere.”
Grande said that both her team and Universal “have tried every single thing possible to fix this.”
“We’ve searched every other flight, overnight, early morning, connecting flights, commercial and also private options and absolutely nothing was available or possible that would get us there in time, even in attempting a private option, there is a permit necessary in order to fly from here that takes time to attain,” the “7 Rings” singer continued. “I am so heartbroken that I’m unable to be there with you all. We sincerely tried everything we could and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
The post concluded, “Please shower my incredible castmates with all of the love that I wish I could be showering you with and have the most beautiful celebration. And again, I am so, so very sorry.”
Tuesday’s premiere in São Paulo kicks off the official press tour for the sequel of the 2024 box office sensation starring Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, Bowen Yang and Michelle Yeoh. The cast will then be traveling to Paris for the Friday, November 7, premiere, London on Monday, November 10, Singapore on Thursday, November 13, and will be rounding out the press tour in New York City on Monday, November 17.
Longtime fans of Grande know how long she had been dreaming of being part of Wicked before being cast as Glinda the Good.
“I can’t think of a time when I wanted something the way I wanted to play this role,” Grande said on the “Fresh Air” podcast in February. “It’s an incredible privilege to be a part of this version of it and to have it be so accessible to so many people and to see the response be what it’s been. I think so many new theater kids have been born.”
Grande also reflected on her unbreakable friendship with Erivo, 38, which began when they both found out they were cast in Wicked in 2021.
“It’s something that was important to us from the very beginning, was to build something real and to know that we could have a safe space in each other for this journey because it was going to be tremendous,” she said. “We knew it was going to be years and years of some of the hardest work of our lives, and it’s something that we started building from the day we were cast.”
Wicked: For Good hits theaters on Friday, November 21.
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