Wicked’s Ariana Grande reveals her thoughts on Glinda’s sexuality after ‘queerbaiting’ claims

Ariana Grande expects there to be a bigger conversation about her evil character Glinda’s sexuality after the release of the second film later this year.

The actress, 31, delved into the subject of Glinda’s sexuality again in a new interview with Blackafter she was previously accused of ‘queerbaiting’.

Joined by her co-star Cynthia Erivo, 37, who plays Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba, Grande shared that she thought Glinda and Elphaba are ‘in love’ but that it’s ‘platonic’.

When asked to clarify her recent comments about Glinda being ‘a little queer,’ Grande shared, ‘I think she’s a person who loves so much and I think that goes beyond gender, and I think that’s a common theme in Oz. ‘

‘I also think that the ways in which she loves Elphaba so much and the forgiveness and the unconditional love that they share – I think they are in love with each other. I know, yes, it’s platonic…’

The star then added: “But we’ll talk more about that in movie two.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the stars discussed how they ‘took care of each other’ during their emotional, much-mocked press tour for Jon M. Chu’s $150M-budget big-screen adaptation of the 2003 Broadway musical.

It comes after Grande stated that Glinda ‘might be a little in the closet’ during an interview in November.

Grande and Erivo sat down with the UK outlet Gay Timesand was asked about fans shipping their characters as a romantic duo.

However, Ariana’s response sparked backlash from some fans who accused her of ‘queerbaiting’.

“Glinda might be a little in the closet. You never know! Give it a little more time,’ she said in the interview.

Grande also said that Oz is a ‘celebration of uniqueness’, adding, ‘everyone is just so beautifully queer, and it has roots all the way back to the L. Frank Baum books, where literally the most commonly used word in the books is “queer.”‘

The star went on to say that ‘every day in Emerald City (the capital of the fictional Land of Oz) is a Pride parade… even like the chicks, these chicks are gay.’

Elsewhere in the interview, she called Doctor Dillamond, played by Peter Dinklage, a ‘gay icon’.

Meanwhile, Erivo said of her Green Witch: ‘I think Elphie, she goes wherever the wind blows.’

‘I think she loves Glinda. I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection that they both have.”

‘They have a relationship. It’s true love, and that’s probably why people send it, you know?’ Erivo added. ‘Because what they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.’

Grande then said of her good witch character: ‘And trust and truth. Just such a safe space for each other, which is what all relationships should be, whether it’s romantic or platonic.’

“I mean, it’s just a true love, and I think it transcends sexuality,” Grande shared.

‘It’s just a kind of deep security in each other. And that’s probably why they send it.’

The interviewer then asked if everyone in Oz was LGBTQ+.

“I think so, a little,” said Cynthia. “Yes,” Ariana agreed.

In Wicked, Glinda and Elphaba start out as enemies but grow into friends as they go to school.

There are romantic plots in the film as Glinda pursues Prince Fiyero, who is secretly interested in Elphaba, and Boq (played by Grande’s real-life boyfriend Ethan Slater) longs for Glinda, who does not return his feelings.

After the interview, fans quickly took to online, with one writing: ‘queerbaiting is getting out of hand.’

Queerbaiting is a marketing technique where creators imply same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation without actually depicting it.

Another asked: ‘Why can’t they just be platonic?’

‘Oh????’ another said simply.

Another fan added: “ariana reposting gelphie memes on her story, liking a post about the flower fields being lesbian colored, saying the boy is mine, talking about elphaba, then saying glinda is in the closet.. .”

‘Ariana is going hard on this ship! First she says Glinda is a bit in the closet and now she’s wearing Elphie’s hat?! Girl.’

But some fans had a different view, with one commenting on X: ‘Ariana confirmed that Glinda is a bit out of the closet! We won!’

The leading ladies also did another interview with GLAADwhere they were asked what they hoped LGBTQ audiences would get out of Wicked.

‘That you deserve all the good things. That your difference is what makes you special. That your weirdness is beautiful. That I love you.’

“Elphaba is just like you and she understands what it feels like to be alone and feel different, but that doesn’t make you any less special than you were born to be,” Erivo said.

Speaking about the Wizard of Oz fantasy world, Grande added: ‘Oz is a very strange place and always has been, even from the L. Frank Baum books. It has always been queer’.

Wicked opened in theaters on November 22, 2024, and the sequel, Wicked: For Good, will open in theaters on November 21, 2025.

The critically acclaimed fantasy film with a budget of $150 million has collected $643.8 million at the global box office since opening.