Ariana Grande accused of 'queerbaiting' after her comment about Wicked character Glinda's sexuality

Ariana Grande reflected on her Wicked character's sexuality in a recent interview, stating that Glinda 'might be a little in the closet.'

Grande, 31, and her co-star Cynthia Erivo, 37, who plays the Wicked Witch of the West Elphaba, sat down with U.K. outlet Gay Times, and were asked about fans who ship their characters as a romantic duo.

However, Ariana's answers 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 Oz is a 'celebration of uniqueness' adding, 'everyone is just so beautifully queer and that roots all the way back to the L. Frank Baum books, where, like, literally the most commonly used word in the books is "queer."'

The star went on to say that 'everyday in the Emerald City [the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz] is a Pride parade... even like the chickens, those chickens 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 both of them have.'

'They do have a relationship. It is true love, which is probably why people are shipping 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 one another, which is what all relationships should be, whether it's romantic or platonic.'

'I mean, it is just a true love, and I think that transcends sexuality,' Grande shared.

'It's just kind of a deep safety within each other. And that's probably why they ship it.'

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

'I think so, a little bit,' Cynthia said. 'Yeah,' Ariana concurred.

In Wicked, Glinda and Elphaba start as enemies but grow into friends while they are in school. 

There are romantic plots in the film, as Glinda pursues Prince Fiyero, who's secretly interested in Elphaba, and Boq (played by Grande's real-life boyfriend Ethan Slater) pines for Glinda, who doesn't return his affections. 

Following the interview fans quickly took online, with one writing: 'the queerbaiting is getting too out of hand.'

Queerbaiting is a marketing technique in which creators hint at same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation, without actually depicting it.

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

'OH????' another one simply said. 

Another fan added: 'ariana reposting gelphie memes onto her story, liking a post abt the flower fields being lesbian colored, saying the boy is mine is about elphaba, and then saying glinda is in the closet…' 

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

However some fans had a different outlook, with one commenting on X: 'Ariana confirmed Glinda is a little out of the closet! We won!' 

'ariana grande has officially won my endorsement by acknowledging lesbian glinda thank you,' someone else chimed in. 

The leading ladies also did another interview with GLAAD, where they were asked about what they hoped LGBTQ audiences would gain from Wicked.

'That you deserve all the good things. That your difference is what makes you special. That your queerness is beautiful. That I love you.'

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

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

While in the midst of promo mode, the two stars of the film issued apologizes for all the tears they've been shedding as they talked about their friendship and the movie.

'We've cried 500 times today. And honestly, this is a PSA. So sorry guys,' Grande could be heard saying in a video shared by E! News.

'It is what it is,' her British-born co-star added. 'There's just nothing we can do about it.'

Grande jumped back in: 'I can't imagine, and you know what? If you're going to comment saying how annoying it is, I'll say it first,' she said sitting next to Erivo for an interview. 

'I said it first. I'm annoyed. I'm tired. My tear ducts… I'm tired, emotionally tired.'

'We've come through a massive, massive thing and we've really stuck together,' Erivo explained.

Jon M. Chu directed the highly-anticipated adaptation, which also stars Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, and Michelle Yeoh. 

Wicked: Part One hits theaters in the U.S. on November 22, and then the sequel, Wicked Part Two, will follow the next year, premiering in cinemas on November 21, 2025.