Ariana Grande reveals the truth behind THAT ‘holding space’ moment on the Wicked press tour as she shares world’s reaction reassured her she was ‘not broken’

Ariana Grande has revealed the truth behind her and Cynthia Erivo’s viral ‘holding space’ moment on the Wicked press tour. 

The moment saw the pair discussing Wicked: Part One’s closing number, Defying Gravity, with journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist for Out Magazine – who claimed fans were ‘taking the lyrics’ and ‘really holding space with that.’
In the original clip, put a hand over her chest while looking shocked and replied: ‘I didn’t know that was happening. That’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted.’

But now Ariana, 31, has shared her thoughts on what went down during the press junket – as she revealed she had ‘no idea what the f*** was going on’. 

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, the singer said: ‘It was just a really strange thing. I was grateful to see the reaction of the world when this clip came out, because I was like “Oh great! I’m not broken”.

‘They felt weird too. They felt so confused too, and that’s great.’ 

Keen to hear more about the moment, that quickly became a viral meme, Graham asked: ‘Of course it’s not just a hit film, it’s become a sort of cultural obsession. It seems like people are pouring over everything about, the movie, the press tour.

‘Oh no where are you going?’ Ariana asked, as Graham continued: ‘You know what I’m gonna ask you ask about. I’ve heard you talk about this. So “holding space”… so describe what happened. You and Cynthia, you’re in a press junket and what was the actual question? Or was it a question?’

Ariana replied: ‘Oh no. Yeah. It’s hard to say. I don’t really know what it was, so… oh my god I’ve never been asked to described what happened. 

‘So this wonderful woman Tracy was interviewing us, and she’s amazing, and we love her so much, she’s a queen and she’s so kind and she’s an icon. But she said to Cynthia “I have seen online” – and forgive me if I don’t quote it perfectly, but she said – “I saw online a lot of people are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that”. So you know for me I’m sitting next to Cynthia and I’m like “Holding space with that… okay yeah”. and Cynthia goes “Um… I didn’t know that was happening” and I’m like “Wait, what’s happening?” 

‘So I kind of missed what’s happening at that point and Tracy then responds and kind of, doesn’t know what Cynthia took it as, it seems. Like it seems like Tracy was like “Oh no I mean I saw it, a few times. I’ve seen it a few times. I mean I’m in queer media”. 

‘And I’m like what the f*** is any of this interaction? What does it mean? I didn’t know what it meant, and I’m just trying to comfort Cynthia, because she’s very emotional and we’re very like physical touch that way.’

Ariana went on to explain the part of the clip, where she holds onto Cynthia’s finger and starts stroking it. 

‘So I grab her finger because I see that she’s getting choked up by what Tracy has shared, and I’m like “Oh, shit”,’ she said.

‘I grab her finger because I don’t know what else to do with myself… It was just energy I didn’t know what to do with, and it came out that way. And it was well intentioned, and I wanted to be loving and there for her, but why this? I don’t f***ing know.’

She then shared that she believed the ‘holding spcae’ comment was just ‘a beautiful of saying that people identify with the lyrics and it brings them strength.’

‘You know, of course that was what it meant,’ she added. ‘ It was just a really strange thing. I was grateful to see the reaction of the world when this clip came out, because I was like “Oh great! I’m not broken”. They felt weird too. They felt so confused too, and that’s great.’

After the clip went viral, Ariana and Cynthia, 37, sat down with director Jon M. Chu, Cynthia to speak to Variety – where they admitted they had ‘no idea’ what Tracy was talking about when they mustered a response. 

‘I was surprised, because I had no idea, because I hadn’t been looking,’ Cynthia admitted of the alleged social media posts that inspired Tracy.

‘She was like, “Well, I guess,”‘ Ariana added of the journalists response when asked about the alleged posts.

‘I had no idea that this thing was going on,’ Cynthia reiterated in her Variety interview. 

‘So I didn’t know what any part of it meant,’ Ariana said more bluntly, which got a laugh out of Jon. ‘I didn’t understand the first sentence. And then I definitely didn’t understand what was happening, how you responded.’

She continued: ‘I was like, “Oh, what did she say, and what did you hear?” And I just wanted to be there [for Cynthia], because I knew something big was happening, and I didn’t know how to be there.’

‘But then, after a while, I didn’t know how to be there,’ Cynthia responded as their director couldn’t contain his chuckles. 

‘She said something that meant something to her, then it meant something totally different to you, then she tried to get somewhere else,’ Ariana tried to explain. ‘And the craziest thing was, I remember in the moment asking myself, ‘Am I OK? Did I not hear something? 

‘Because [Cynthia] looks like she’s about to cry again and I’m about to grab [her finger] because I think [she] might need something, and I don’t know what the tapping [her finger] is about —’

‘Tension,’ Cynthia suggested. 

Then Cynthia said she was thrown off by Tracy’s announcement that she worked in ‘queer media.’

‘I honestly didn’t know what that meant. And, am I also in queer media? Maybe?’ she added in puzzlement.