On Thursday, November 20, the pop personality-turned-Hollywood sweetheart revealed on her Instagram Story that she had tested positive for coronavirus shortly after making an appearance as a guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” She is actively marketing the second installment of the fantasy musical Wicked, Wicked: For Good, which is presently playing in theaters.
The COVID-19 update was released a few days after the singer-actor avoided press appearances at her movie’s New York premiere. Cynthia Erivo, her co-star, also disclosed that she had lost her voice and skipped interviews due to illness. Ariana will not be going to the forthcoming shows and interviews, such as The Kelly Clarkson Show, due to her condition.
During the production of the first “Wicked” movie, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both tested positive for COVID on different dates. Grande was diagnosed just before “Popular,” but Erivo proved positive days before “Defying Gravity” was filmed.
Grande’s most recent health report adds to an already troubled press trip. Due to a “safety issue” with her plane, Grande failed to attend the São Paulo premiere on November 4. Then, on November 13, at the Singapore premiere, a man charged at Grande on the red carpet and seized her, shocking everyone.
According to The New York Times, the person, identified as 26-year-old Australian Johnson Wen, eventually entered a guilty plea to a public nuisance charge and was sentenced to nine days in jail.
Ironically, Grande and Erivo had previously contracted COVID during the Wicked franchise. Days before filming some of the film’s most significant sequences, both actors disclosed that they had contracted the virus while advertising for the first movie in 2024.
