Ariana Grande clarifies remarks about Glinda after ‘queerbaiting’ backlash

Ariana Grande has clarified her comments on Wicked character Glinda’s sexuality after receiving backlash for “queerbaiting” in interviews.

After previously saying that Glinda “might be a little in the closet,” Ariana explained to Variety: “I think she’s a person who loves so much, and I do think that it goes beyond gender, and I think that’s a common theme in Oz.’

She argued that Elphaba and Glinda are in love, but it’s platonic.

“I also think that the ways in which she loves Elphaba so much, and that forgiveness and that unconditional love that they share — I think they’re in love with each other. I know, yes, it’s platonic…”

“But we’ll talk about it more in depth in movie two,” she noted.

In her earlier interview alongside Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, the Bloodline hitmaker told Gay Times: “Glinda might be a little in the closet. You never know! Give it a little more time.”

She went on to say that “everyone [in Oz] is just so beautifully queer and that roots all the way back to the L. Frank Baum books, where, like, literally the most commonly used word in the books is ‘queer.’”

She added that “everyday in the Emerald City [the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz] is a Pride parade… even like the chickens, those chickens are gay.”