Ariana Grande just confirmed she tested positive for COVID, sidelining her just days before the massive Wicked: For Good release, as per TMZ. It’s a classic case of bad timing, and it means the star won’t be able to finish out the massive press tour she’s been running.
Recovering from home, Grande is clearly dealing with some serious cabin fever creativity right now. She decided to give us a look behind the curtain by dropping a whole photo dump on Instagram from the recent press tour. This is a fascinating glimpse into the chaos of promotion, but the whole thing takes a dark turn when you see the caption on one specific snap.
The most heartbreaking image is one taken during her stop at The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon earlier this week. Grande captioned that picture with the devastating phrase, “moments before Covid.” You can just feel the excitement in that photo, knowing what was coming next. This is a tough pill to swallow for fans who were ready to see her hit the final promotional stretch.
It’s a seriously unfortunate way for the tour to end for Ariana Grande
Grande’s diagnosis explains a few recent professional absences. She had to bail on a taped appearance for The Kelly Clarkson Show, which is a huge bummer because those interviews are always so great and usually pull in massive numbers. On top of that, she’ll also miss the upcoming scheduled Wicked: For Good Q&A events set for the next few days. Missing these fan Q&As is truly an unfortunate twist, especially since the movie is so close to hitting theaters, and fans were eager to hear from Glinda herself.
This isn’t the first time Grande has missed a major promotional event recently, but the context has changed dramatically. She initially bailed on the NYC premiere just days ago, but that was actually done in solidarity with her costar, Cynthia Erivo. Erivo was reportedly under the weather at the time and had lost her voice, forcing her to miss the event.
You can’t help but wonder if this is where Grande caught the bug. These two have basically been glued together throughout the entire tour, promoting the movie relentlessly and attending every event side-by-side. They’ve been so inseparable that the internet has even been poking fun at them about how close they are, which definitely makes the possibility of transmission seem highly likely.
We don’t know for sure if Erivo’s initial illness was COVID-related, or if she was the one who passed it on, but whatever knocked her out earlier seems to have passed. Erivo is currently flying solo for the rest of the promotional duties while Grande recovers at home.
It’s a cruel bit of timing that Grande has to step away now, right when the movie is about to drop and excitement is peaking. Hopefully, she has a quick and easy recovery, and she can get back to celebrating the release of Wicked: For Good soon!
Published: Nov 21, 2025 04:00 pm