Common Insists the Depraved Witches Had been Paid ...

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

Variety writes this got here after a New York Publish 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 fully false and based mostly on web fodder,” a spokesperson for Common stated in a press release quoted by Selection. “The ladies obtained equal pay for his or her work on Depraved.”

How a lot these equally balanced paychecks have been value, nonetheless, continues to be a thriller. Depraved‘s box-office take so far (it had the biggest-ever opening for a Broadway adaptation, in line with the commerce) will surely justify beneficiant salaries for its stars—and bodes properly 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 once more?

Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every little thing it is advisable find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.