Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Evil’ Salaries: What Universal Says

Despite rumors to the contrary, “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande earned the same amount for starring in the hit movie.

“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on Internet fodder. The women were paid equally for their work on ‘Wicked,'” a Universal spokesperson told TODAY.com. (TODAY.com and Universal Pictures share Comcast as parent company .)

No specific information was shared about how much they earned.

Rumors that Grande, who stars as Glinda in the film, had made more money than Erivo, who portrays Elphaba, recently surfaced, leading to outrage among fans. Posts circulating on social media claimed that Grande received $15 million, while Erivo received $1 million.

“Wicked” is based on the hit Broadway musical inspired by Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.”

Grande and Erivo, who have said they took a few props from the set, developed a close bond while making the film.

“I think we both also knew that we wanted more than just this working relationship; we wanted to build friendship outside of that, which is what we have now,” Erivo told Willie Geist on TODAY’s Nov. 10 “Sunday Sitdown.”

Last year, Grande raved about Erivo while sharing an update on Instagram about shooting the movie.

“To hold my radiant twin flame / Sister Cynthia’s beautiful green hands every day… to work in the safest, most beautiful and loving, biggest-yet-most-intimate/bitter-feeling spaces,” she wrote.

The “Wicked” loon isn’t bound to slow down either. The second film will hit theaters on November 21, 2025.