Fans slam ‘Wicked’ rumored pay gap between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as ‘diabolical’

Fans have criticized the significant pay gap between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the stars of Wicked: Part One.

Arian Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in Wicked. Credit: Noam Galai / Getty

The long-awaited adaptation of the stage musical is now in theaters and it’s drawing enormous audiences.

The movie follows Grande, 31, as Glinda the Good and Erivo, 37, as Elphaba Thropp, two friends whose relationship reaches a crossroads as they are treated differently by the people around them.

Wicked has been released in theatres. Credit: Aaron P/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

According to reports, Erivo, the lead actress in the musical movie, received a salary of $1 million for her role. In contrast, the ‘No Tears Left To Cry’ vocalist, who is the supporting actress, is said to be earning much more – a reported $15 million.

Sources have also claimed that Michelle Yeoh, who plays Madame Morrible, and Jeff Goldblum, who stars as the Wizard, earned $2 million for their roles.

The reported salaries for the rest of the principal cast members also show some notable differences. Jonathan Bailey, known for playing Prince Fiyero, reportedly earned just $450,000, while Ethan Slater, who plays Boq and Grande’s boyfriend, was paid $350,000.

Meanwhile, Marissa Bode and Bowen Yang, whose roles have also garnered attention, are both reportedly making $250,000 each.

A rumored list of the Wicked cast salaries has been disclosed. Credit: Dave Benett / Getty

Many viewers took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to react to the rumored leaked salary list.

One outraged user was shocked at the alleged pay gap between Grande and Erivo and wrote: “Ariana getting paid over $10M more than Cynthia doesn’t sit right with me…”

Another agreed, adding: “You’re 100% right…It’s not that Ariana shouldn’t have been paid that much. It’s that Cynthia should have been paid just as much, if not more — she’s the lead, after all.”

However, some defended the ‘Thank U Next’ superstar, noting that she is objectively the more famous star.

“Well Ariana is one of the biggest celebrities on the planet sooo I would assume she would be getting paid top dollar,” a user commented. “Her name alone is most likely gonna bring more than half of the movies earnings and merch sales,” another said.

A third echoed: “Ariana Grande has 376 million followers on IG, has been in the limelight for over a decade, and a gigantic built in fanbase. She is a MASSIVE draw for the movie. That is why she’s paid more.”

Per The Mirror, there has been speculation that Grande shared part of her substantial salary with Erivo to increase her payout, though this has not been verified.

Cynthia Erivo, and Ariana Grande with Wicked director Jon M. Chu. Credit: Emma McIntyre / Getty

The rumored salary disparity comes after Wicked’s successful box office debut, grossing $114 million in the U.S. in its opening weekend, a record for a musical adaptation, BBC reported.

Wicked has been released in theaters. A second installment is rumored to follow next year.