The Wicked movie stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, have been going BIG when it comes to promoting the movie. Red carpets, brand collabs, appearances, oh my! On Nov. 15, Ari appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to talk about Wicked some more and what the role of Glinda means to her ahead of the movie’s release on Nov. 22.
If you’re a fan of The Tonight Show, or even just a TikTok user at all, then you’ve probably seen some of the hilarious videos that Jimmy Fallon posts with his guests before their appearances. Before her interview on the show, Ari appeared with Fallon in a TikTok referencing a classic meme, and I can’t stop thinking about it.
If you’ve been a social media user for a few years, then you’re probably familiar with the “Wicked Witch of the East, bro” meme. In 2018, YouTube user @austinparrish5255 posted the 26-second clip of his friends debating over whether The Wizard of Oz’s Glinda is a witch or a princess. For such a simple topic, the argument got pretty heated.
One of the debaters in the video (and perhaps the most passionate of the two) yells, “Hold up! Her sister was a witch, right? And what was her sister? A princess! The Wicked Witch of the East, bro! You’re gonna tell me that I’m wrong? Am I wrong? She wore a crown and she came down in a bubble, Doug! Grow up bro, grow up.” The other debater tries to interject, saying, “It’s my favorite movie” while the person behind the camera is hysterically laughing. Since then, this audio has become iconic to say the least, being used by tons of TikTok users and even on Wicked the musical’s official account.
Starring as the Witch of the East, Glinda, in the Wicked movie, it was only a matter of time before Grande herself made a video using the famous audio. In a stunning pink and Glinda-esque dress, Ari perfectly lip-synched to the “witch or princess” debate, shaking her hands in Fallon’s face and proclaiming, “the Wicked Witch of the East bro!” Having watched the original video way too many times, I can testify that Grande and Fallon’s recreation was spot on!
Between this hilarious video and Grande’s role in the viral “Bridesmaid Speech” skit on Saturday Night Live in October, her title as the internet’s latest meme queen has definitely been solidified. With all the Wicked talk lately, and being a theater nerd myself, I “couldn’t be happier” that the movie is hitting theaters soon!