Ariana Grande tests positive for COVID-19 just as Wicked: For Good hits theatres

Ariana Grande tests positive for Covid-19

Ariana Grande has opened up about testing positive for COVID-19, a setback that’s arrived right as the Wicked: For Good press tour reaches its final, and arguably most demanding, stretch.

The 32-year-old shared the update on Thursday with a candid Instagram post, pairing a photo from her 18 November appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with the wry caption, “moments before Covid.”

Following her announcement, Variety reported that Grande has stepped back from several upcoming commitments, including an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show and a series of Q&A events planned for the film. Cynthia Erivo, her co-star and close friend throughout the project, is still expected to attend as scheduled.

The timing couldn’t be more challenging. Just days earlier, both Ariana and Erivo were noticeably absent from the majority of interviews at the New York City premiere on 17 November.

Universal Pictures had already revealed that Erivo wasn’t feeling well and had lost her voice. Even so, the pair made a brief appearance on the red carpet and popped onto a livestream.

Also Read: Ariana Grande shuts down music exit rumors, teases 2026 comeback

Ariana gently joked that she was “not letting [Erivo] speak,” while Erivo managed a short, hoarse comment that made it clear she was struggling.

At the Singapore event on 13 November, a frightening moment unfolded when a man rushed at her on the red carpet and grabbed her in front of fans and cameras.

The man, identified as 26-year-old Australian Johnson Wen, later pleaded guilty to being a public nuisance and received a nine-day jail sentence, according to The New York Times.

This isn’t even the first time COVID-19 has intruded on the franchise. During press for the original 2024 Wicked film, both Ariana Grande and Erivo revealed that they’d come down with the virus just before shooting some of the film’s most crucial scenes.

The singer and actress told The New York Times that they completed “some of the most important works of the whole movie” while still recovering.

Erivo, appearing again on The Tonight Show on 19 November, reassured fans that her voice was “still missing in action, but she’s there,” adding with a playful rasp, “She’s kind of sexy.”

Wicked: For Good will release in theatres today.