Ariana Grande COVID Diagnosis Hits 'Wicked: For Good' U.S. Premiere Week After Brazil & Singapore Incidents

Mian Hamid November 21, 2025

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Ariana Grande's promotional run for the highly anticipated sequel, 'Wicked: For Good,' has concluded with a major setback: a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. The news arrived just as the international press tour for the Universal Pictures film, which opens in U.S. theaters on November 21, was winding down.

The 32-year-old singer and actress, who plays Glinda the Good Witch in the two-part film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, shared the update with fans on Thursday, November 20. Grande posted a photo from her Tuesday, November 18 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to her Instagram Stories, captioning the post simply, "moments before Covid."

Following the announcement, it was confirmed that Grande was forced to pull out of several promotional commitments. She will now miss her planned appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show this week and will also skip several upcoming Q&A panels for 'Wicked: For Good.' Her co-star, Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, is still scheduled to appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

The diagnosis is the latest in a series of challenges that have plagued the promotional circuit:

  • NYC Premiere Illness: Just days before, at the New York City premiere on Monday, November 17, both Grande and Erivo, 38, skipped most press interviews. Universal Pictures had announced that Erivo was "not feeling well" and had lost her voice. While both stars posed for photos and briefly spoke during a livestream, Grande explained she was "not letting [Erivo] speak" to protect her voice. Erivo later addressed her own recovery during her November 19 appearance on The Tonight Show, joking that her hoarse voice was "kind of sexy."

  • Brazil Travel Snag: Earlier in the month, Grande was prevented from attending the film's premiere in São Paulo, Brazil on November 4 due to a "safety issue" with her plane.

  • Singapore Security Scare: At the Singapore premiere on November 13, a man rushed and grabbed the Glinda actress while she was walking the red carpet. The man, 26-year-old Australian native Johnson Wen, was later sentenced to nine days in jail after pleading guilty to being a public nuisance.

This is not the first time the virus has disrupted the production. During the press run for the first Wicked movie in 2024, Grande and Erivo revealed they had each contracted COVID-19 separately, days before filming what Grande described as "some of the most important works of the whole movie."

Despite the tumultuous press tour, 'Wicked: For Good' is still set to debut in U.S. theaters this Friday, November 21.

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