Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Wicked pay gap rumors spread on social media – but are they true?

Universal Pictures set the record straight after viral rumors claimed Ariana Grande (r.) enjoyed a significantly larger payday than Cynthia Erivo for Wicked.  © IMAGO / Avalon.red

On Tuesday, the movie studio denied claims that the pop star, who plays Glinda in the flick, had been paid more than Cynthia, who stars as Elphaba.

"Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet fodder," a spokesperson for Universal said, per Variety.

"The women received equal pay for their work on Wicked."

Posts on Reddit, TikTok, and more social media sites had gone viral with claims that Ariana made as much as $15 million for her role, while Cynthia had allegedly received $1 million.

Universal did not disclose how much the pair made, but Wicked's budget was certainly not insignificant – the studio reportedly put $300 million into the film's two parts combined.

Wicked: Part One is already well on its way to earning back its half of the budget, having raked in over $114 million during its opening weekend.