EXCLUSIVE: ‘Wicked’ Co-Stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Cringey Public Lovefests Branded a ‘Sham’ to Cover Up ‘Behind-Scenes Hatred’

The public lovefest between Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo is a Wicked lie.

That’s the dirt being dished by industry insiders, who said the on-set tension between the costars of the blockbuster flick was so spellbinding that producers needed to hire a mediator to keep them from acting like witches to each other, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

“It’s like Glinda vs. Elphaba in real life,” said one source. “The chemistry onscreen might be magical, but behind the scenes it’s a whole other story.”

News of the feud is particularly shocking to fans in the wake of the bond that the two stars went out of their way to talk about in interviews, with Cynthia even saying she “gained a sister” in Ariana when she took the role. Meanwhile, Ariana has said she’s become a “different person” because of their seemingly close relationship.

But Cynthia also revealed their relationship wasn’t all sunshine and roses when she said, “We had really beautiful conversations, some that were not easy, but that’s what makes relationships.

Erivo, 37, apparently got fed up with 31-year-old Ariana’s diva demands and resented the fact she wasn’t getting the same kind of star treatment. “Cynthia is actually the lead in Wicked, but Ariana is the global superstar“, said an insider.

“Ariana’s used to being the center of attention, and working as part of a team isn’t her style. She doesn’t do well promoting other people – even if it helps her”.

Word is that British-born Erivo, who is relatively new to American audiences, was hoping Ariana would help launch her career into the stratosphere – but our sources said the Florida-bred nightingale isn’t one to share the spotlight.

One tip-off that things are icy between the two came when Grande hosted Saturday Night Live during the run-up to Wicked‘s release and didn’t invite Erivo to attend the show or afterparty.

“Cynthia felt overlooked and disrespected”, said another source. Adding fuel to the fire, there are whispers that Erivo had hoped to collaborate with Grande after the movie’s release, perhaps even doing a tour together.

“That will never happen”, said the first insider. “Ariana doesn’t share her fans or her success.” There were also embarrassing reports that Grande’s salary was more than TEN TIMES what Cynthia earned, but they were quickly denied by Universal Pictures reps who said they got equal pay. “Ariana’s reputation isn’t the best”, noted an insider.

“So these Wicked reports aren’t tough to believe.”