Ariana Grande melts the internet’s hearts as she lovingly watches Cynthia Erivo open Oscars with Wizard of Oz medley

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo kicked off the 97th Academy Awards with a performance that warmed hearts everywhere.

On Sunday, Hollywood’s best gathered to celebrate their accomplishments of the last year at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Before this year’s host Conan O’Brien took the stage, the two actors came together to sing songs from both The Wizard of Oz and their spinoff, Wicked.

Grande was the first to step out as she sang the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” wearing a ruby red dress reminiscent of the signature slippers from the movie. Erivo then transitioned into “Home” from The Wiz as she wore a white gown covered in flowers.

The two of them then sang “Defying Gravity” together, causing many people to turn to X to gush over their connection on stage.

“Ariana’s and Cynthia’s first time performing defying gravity and absolutely magical… completely speechless,” one post read.

Another agreed, writing, “like actual tears fell.”

“My heart is screaming,” a third person wrote.

Throughout the lead-up to Wicked’s premiere, many people pointed out how close Erivo and Grande are. The “Break Free” singer revealed in a February interview with The Hollywood Reporter that there has been speculation that she and Erivo are more than friends.

“People think we’re secretly married,” she told the publication.

Grande continued, saying that she has seen some “Gelfie stuff” or edits of their two characters from the Wicked movie, Glinda and Elphaba, and didn’t realize how detailed some fans could be in picturing the characters in some type of romantic relationship.

“I wish I could unsee some things,” the “we can’t be friends” singer said. “I mean, wow, I had a feeling, but I didn't know it would be on this scale or this graphic.”

Although the two of them are not in a romantic relationship, they have constantly gushed about working with each other.

“To work with someone who is just absolutely in their own league as a talent in the world — there's no one like her,” Grande said about Erivo on Penn Badgley's podcast Podcrushed in June 2024.

“To just feel like we somehow speak the same language and somehow we're destined to do this together and to feel safe every single day together and hold space.”

“To have that — the love that we have and trust that we have and deep love that we have for each other is — I think it all kind of happened the way it did because of that and because we were supposed to be in each other's lives, I really do,” she added.

Grande began dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater in 2023 while Erivo has reportedly been dating Lena Waithe since 2020.

The Victorious alum has previously opened up about a theory she had regarding Glinda’s sexuality.

In an interview with The Gay Times ahead of the movie’s premiere, Grande and Erivo discussed the inherent queerness of both Wicked and the world of Oz created by author L. Frank Baum.

“Every day in the Emerald City is a Pride parade, right?” the pop star said. “Even, like, the chickens. Those chickens are gay.”