Yes, and?
Ariana Grande was asked point blank why she and her âWicked: For Goodâ co-star Cynthia Erivo âlike to touch each otherâ on Amy Poehlerâs âGood Hangâ podcast Tuesday.
The Grammy winner explained that she âchannel[s] a lot of energy through [her] hands.â
The singer, 32, pointed out that she is âalways holding a hand, always squeezing somethingâ or âalways reaching for somethingâ â usually with whoever she is around.
Grande told listeners that she and Erivo, 38, have âworked hard to maintainâ the close bond they developed playing Glinda and Elphaba, respectively.
âThereâs a lot of time that passes between wrapping the film and the press tour happening,â she explained, noting that they do âcheck ins here and there whenâ possible.
âWeâre both so busy but do our best to stay connected in that way and to take care of each other so we can honor the project as much as humanly possible,â Grande continued.
Grandeâs displays of physical affection, she noted, are meant âto channel support and energyâ to loved ones.
âI didnât even notice that was a thing about me until that thing happened,â Grande added, referencing the viral moment in November 2024 when she held Erivoâs finger mid-interview and tapped it.
âI didnât know what the fâk was going on,â the âVictoriousâ alum recalled of a reporter emotionally telling the actresses queer fans were âholding spaceâ for âDefying Gravityâ lyrics.
âI knew it was tender and beautiful, and I just wanted to be supportive,â the songwriter remembered. âIt was sweet. It felt beautiful.â
One month after the headline-making finger grab, Grande broke her silence on it in a Variety interview.
â[The journalist] said something that meant something to [Erivo], then it meant something totally different to [Erivo], and then [the journalist] tried to kind of get somewhere else,â she said in the December 2024 sitdown. âI remember in the moment asking myself, âAm I OK? Did I not hear something?ââ
The âSam & Catâ alum reached for Erivoâs finger because she thought her friend âmight need something.â
Grande quipped, âI feel really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did, because I felt like, âOh Iâm not broken.â The best thing to is to really hold space with that.â
As for the tapping, Erivo jokingly blamed that on the âtensionâ in the room.
Additionally, Grande admitted to the outlet that she and Erivo were âinsufferableâ and âannoyingâ while promoting the movie.
The filmâs second installment, âWicked: For Good,â comes out Friday â and the duo have been just as affectionate at premieres this time around.
Erivo even jumped into action faster than security guards to save Grande from a crazed fan in Singapore last week.
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