Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande received the same salary for their work Evil.

“Reports of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are completely false and based on internet material. The women received equal pay for their work Evil“said a Universal spokesperson in a statement The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday. Several sources familiar with the situation also said this THR that the actresses received the same fee for their work on director Jon M. Chu’s film musical.

Unfounded rumors about Erivo and Grande’s salaries surfaced on TikTok and Reddit this week. Social media users claimed Grande earned $15 million for the film while Erivo earned $1 million. Multiple news outlets picked up the comment on social media, only adding to the firestorm.

Originally based on the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire, Evil tells the backstory of the Witches of Oz, with Erivo as Elphaba and Grande as Glinda. Winnie Holzman, the stage production’s writer, co-wrote the screenplay for Chu’s film with Dana Fox. Academy Award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz adapted the musical for the screen. Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey and Bowen Yang also star in the feature film.

The Evil During their whirlwind press tour, the on- and off-screen co-stars gushed about their relationship and said they would both love to return to the Broadway stage, ideally together.

The second Evil Rate, meanwhile, will be released on November 21, 2025. Evil (Part One) ended with “Defying Gravity,” the signature song that closed the first act of the Broadway stage show and introduced the two-part film “To Be Continued.” “We felt this space was necessary,” Chu explained THR to divide the film. “I think we found a nice balance in that.”

Evil continues to dominate the box office, earning a record-breaking $15.8 million for a top-performing musical on Monday Frozen 2The film grossed $12.7 million in 2019. The film previously grossed over $160 million worldwide in its opening weekend.