As the Wicked: For Good press tour wraps up, Ariana Grande has revealed that she has tested positive for COVID-19, adding to the challenges faced by the film’s stars during promotional appearances. Grande, 32, shared the news with fans on Instagram on November 20, posting a photo from her November 18 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon with the caption, “moments before Covid.”

Impact on Press Tour Appearances

Following her COVID-19 diagnosis, Grande canceled her scheduled appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show and will miss upcoming Q&A panels for Wicked: For Good. Her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, 38, will still appear on the show.

The health announcement comes just days after both Grande and Erivo skipped most press interviews at the Wicked: For Good New York City premiere on November 17. Universal Pictures had previously announced that Erivo was “not feeling well” and had temporarily lost her voice. Despite this, both stars attended the red carpet and briefly spoke during a livestream hosted at the premiere, with Grande joking that she was “not letting [Erivo] speak.”

Setbacks Throughout the Press Tour

Grande’s COVID-19 diagnosis follows a series of setbacks during the Wicked: For Good press tour. On November 4, she missed the film’s São Paulo, Brazil premiere due to a “safety issue” with her plane. Then, at the Singapore premiere on November 13, a 26-year-old man rushed at her on the red carpet, grabbing her while she walked alongside her co-stars.

The man, later identified as Australian citizen Johnson Wen, pleaded guilty to one charge of being a public nuisance and received a nine-day jail sentence, according to The New York Times.

Past COVID Struggles During the First Wicked Press Tour

This is not the first time Grande and Erivo have faced health challenges amid Wicked press tours. During the promotion of the first film in 2024, both stars separately contracted COVID-19 days before filming “some of the most important works of the whole movie,” Grande previously told The New York Times.

Erivo discussed her lingering effects during her November 19 appearance on The Tonight Show, revealing that her voice was “still missing in action, but she’s there,” delivering her remarks in a soft, low tone and joking that losing her voice was “kind of sexy.”

Wicked: For Good Release

Despite these setbacks, the highly anticipated sequel to 2024’s Wicked hits theaters nationwide on November 21, 2025. Fans can expect Grande and Erivo’s performances to continue to captivate audiences, even as they navigate health challenges and promotional hurdles.