Ariana Grande to Critics: "Double Standards? That's So Glinda of You!"
Ariana Grande is hitting back at critics who have panned her for changing her speaking voice, calling out the double standards that male actors don't face. Appearing on the July 9 episode of Evan Ross Katz’s Shut Up Evan podcast, Grande explained her voice shift, noting that it's part of embodying her role as Glinda in the upcoming Wicked films.
Grande, addressing the viral clip where she switched tones on Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed, clarified on TikTok that she's been “speaking like this for two years” while filming Wicked and that using a higher register is actually better for her vocal health.
On Katz’s show, she elaborated, “I spent a long time playing Glinda every single day, training my voice to do different things. The voice is in the body, it’s an instrument, and muscle memory is a real thing. That’s a normal thing for people whose job it is to transform.”
The “Yes, And?” singer also pointed out the praise male actors receive for staying in character, contrasting it with the ridicule she’s faced. “You see male actors praised for their dedication and transformation, but if I sneeze like Glinda, it’s a problem,” she quipped. “I had a job to do. People change and habits form. It’s strange to be under such a microscope.”
During the podcast, Grande also touched on other subjects, including why she deactivated her X account and her reaction to body shaming comments last year. She revealed that staying silent during backlash, such as the controversy over her romance with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, is a conscious choice to protect her peace and privacy.
“There’s still a lot of misperceptions out there,” Grande said. “I always come back to protecting my peace and not taking the bait, because addressing rumors often exposes more of my real life.”