Ariana Grande has hit another dent in her ongoing press tour for the second act of Wicked, Wicked: For Good.
Just a few weeks after being forced to miss the highly-anticipated film's first premiere in Brazil due to flight issues, the "we can't be friends" singer has now had to pull out of other promotional commitments after testing positive for COVID-19.
The diagnosis comes just three days after attending the Wicked: For Good premiere in New York City, during which as her co-star Cynthia Erivo lost her voice as opted out of doing interviews, the Don't Look Up actress followed suit in solidarity.
© InstagramAriana confirmed she had tested positive for COVID on Thursday, November 20, taking to her Instagram Stories and re-posting a photo from her latest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, which was on Tuesday, November 18.
"Moments before Covid," she wrote of the photo, which captured her waving Glinda's wand.
Variety reports that as a result of the diagnosis, Ariana has had to pull out of a taped appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show alongside Cynthia, who will appear alone on the segment. She will also miss the Q&A discussions about Wicked: For Good that were scheduled in the next coming days.
© Getty ImagesThis is the second time Ariana tests positive for COVID while in the midst of Wicked commitments. During filming of the two movies, which took place in London from December 2022 to January 2024, with a brief pause in July 2023 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, both she and Cynthia tested positive.
The uber-close co-stars later revealed that they both got sick right before they filmed arguably their most important numbers in the movie, Cynthia before "Defying Gravity," and Ariana before "Popular." The two famously sang their numbers live for the films.
Speaking with the New York Times last year about their demanding schedules, Cynthia shared of free time: "If there was time, we were not well. There was one time when I got Covid, there was another time when [Ariana] got Covid."
© Gareth Cattermole/Getty ImagesAriana then explained: "We only got sick once each, but both were before some of the most important works of the whole movie — mine was the week before "Popular," and recalled: "I came to set with a mask on my final days of recovery to learn the hallway finale, and no one liked this joke but I loved it so I'll tell it: We were in the dorm room together and I sang in her ear, 'Positive, you're going to be positive!' But I wasn't positive anymore, don't worry! I took the test."
© Getty Images"I got Covid the week before I shot "Defying Gravity." It was literally like, "Sit down, Cynthia, not yet," Cynthia added.
Wicked: For Good, which per Variety is expected to earn $150 million to $180 million from 4,000 North American theaters in its first weekend of release, is out in theaters Friday, November 21.
