Common Insists the Depraved Witches Had been Paid the Identical Wage

With Wicked‘s present perch atop pop culture’s social-media obsessions, together with all of the pink sparkly cosplay and meme-able “holding house” moments, there have been inevitably additionally gonna be some disparaging grumbles. Not in regards to the film itself—most individuals are freaking out with delight over that—however over extra esoteric issues. The newest includes an alleged pay disparity between stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande so distressing, Common made the uncommon transfer of really responding on to the rumors.

Variety writes this got here after a New York Submit story that sourced “unsubstantiated claims by TikTok and Reddit customers” who believed Grande (a Nickelodeon star turned Grammy-winning pop star) had earned a number of million {dollars} greater than Erivo (a Grammy, Emmy, and Tony winner, in addition to a two-time Oscar nominee). Unsurprisingly, the studio felt compelled to talk out.

“Reviews of pay disparity between Cynthia and Ariana are utterly false and based mostly on web fodder,” a spokesperson for Common mentioned in an announcement quoted by Selection. “The ladies obtained equal pay for his or her work on Depraved.”

How a lot these equally balanced paychecks had been value, nevertheless, continues to be a thriller. Depraved‘s box-office take to this point (it had the biggest-ever opening for a Broadway adaptation, based on the commerce) will surely justify beneficiant salaries for its stars—and bodes nicely for 2025’s Depraved Half Two, which is able to wrap up the story a yr from now. Will you be prepared for a contemporary avalanche of Depraved-adjacent rumors to take over the web over again?

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