Ariana Grande to Miss WICKED: FOR GOOD Brazil Premiere After Flight Issues

Due to flight issues, Ariana Grande will no longer be in attendance at the first stop on the Wicked: For Good press tour, taking place in São Paulo, Brazil. The performer took to Instagram on Monday to reveal the news, sharing that she had to deplane her original flight for safety and maintenance purposes, which resulted in unavoidable delays. 

“My team and Universal have tried every single thing possible to fix this. We’ve searched every other flight, overnight, early morning, connecting flights, commercial and also private options and absolutely nothing was available or possible that would get us there in time," she explained on her Instagram story. "I am heartbroken that I'm unable to be there with you all. We sincerely tried everything we could and I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Following intense outcry from fans, she posted a follow-up message asking for understanding and kindness. "No matter how upset or disappointed you are, please plaase do not wish danger on us or assume that we didn't try... I have been looking forward to this moment for a year... I love Brazil, I always have, I always will." She went on to confirm that her co-stars Cynthia Erivo and Jonathan Bailey, as well as director Jon M. Chu, will be present.

The press tour and premiere events will bring the cast around the world with five stops in Sāo Paulo (Nov. 4), Paris (Nov. 7), London (Nov. 10), Singapore (Nov. 13), and New York (Nov. 17). On the tour, fans can expect appearances by Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, and more.

Wicked: For Good picks up after the 2024 blockbuster. Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard. Get tickets to see Wicked: For Good in theaters and check out first reactions for the new movie here.

Wicked: For Good will hit theaters on November 21, 2025, and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. Other cast members include Tony-nominee Colman Domingo as the voice of the Cowardly Lion and Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as the voice of Elphaba’s childhood nanny, Dulcibear.

Wicked: For Good is based on Act Two of the musical stage play with music and lyrics by composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire.

Photo Credit: Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures