Ariana Grande says she ‘had no idea’ what ‘holding space’ meant as she addresses ‘Wicked’ interview meme

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ariana Grande recently addressed the "holding space" 'Wicked' interview meme and revealed that she "didn't know" the meaning behind the viral comment.

Grande's interview with Out.com during the 'Wicked' press tour had created a lot of buzz online after being posted on the outlet's Instagram on November 19, according to People. 

Ariana Grande breaks silence on 'holding space' interview meme

Ariana Grande recently broke her silence on the viral interview clip, telling Variety, "So I had no idea what any part of it meant." She was joined by Cynthia Erivo, 37, and 'Wicked' director Jon M Chu, in the sit-down where she added, "I didn't understand the first sentence."

Grande said, referring to Erivo, "And then I definitely didn't understand what was happening and how you responded. I was like, ‘Oh what did she say, what did you hear?’ And I just wanted to be there because I knew something big was happening. And I didn't know how to be there."

The '7 Rings' singer added, "She said something that meant something to her, then it meant something totally different to [Erivo], and then she tried to kind of get somewhere else. I remember in the moment asking myself, ‘Am I okay? Did I not hear something?' ... because she looks like she was about to cry again."

Grande reflected on all the memes about the interview that were shared on social media, stating that they were "so beautiful". She said, "I feel really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did, because I felt like, ‘Oh I'm not broken.’ The best thing to do is to really hold space with that."

During the Out.com interview, journalist Tracy Gilchrist told Grande and Erivo that "people have been taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that". To which Erivo responded: "Uh, I didn't know that was happening."

"That's really powerful," she continued awkwardly as Grande silently nodded and gripped one of her co-star's fingers.

Grande told Variety that she decided to grab Erivo’s finger at that moment “because I [thought] you might need something."

“And I don’t know what the tapping was about,” Grande continued, as Erivo jokingly added, “Tension, tension."

Ariana Grande gets candid about 'dangerous' criticism of her body

Ariana Grande recently opened up about the criticism she’s faced over her appearance during a heartfelt conversation with Cynthia Erivo and French content creator Crazy Sally.

The 31-year-old singer, who has grown up in the spotlight, became emotional while discussing the long-standing pressure to meet societal standards of beauty, as reported by People.

She said, "I’ve been doing this in front of the public and been a specimen in a Petri dish really since I was 16 or 17. I have heard it all. I’ve heard every version of it."

She continued, "You’re young and you’re hearing all kinds of things."

Grande also compared the public scrutiny to family gatherings where relatives comment on changes in appearance while addressing the impact of unsolicited commentary, per the outlet.

The singer said, "It’s hard to protect yourself from that noise. It’s something that is uncomfortable no matter what scale you’re experiencing it on, even if you go to Thanksgiving dinner and someone's granny says 'Oh my god you look skinnier, what happened?' or 'you look heavier what happened?'"

However, over the years, Grande has learned to cope by leaning on her support system and rejecting negativity. She said, "I’m really lucky to have the support system that I have and to just know and trust that I’m beautiful."

She also said she has taken steps to prioritize her peace. Grande mentioned,  "I just don’t invite it in anymore. I have work to do, I have a life to live, I have friends to love on. It’s not invited, so I don’t leave space for it anymore."

Internet jokes as Ariana Grande breaks silence on 'holding space' interview meme

Several social media users came up with funny reactions as Ariana Grande addressed the "holding space" viral interview clip.

A comment read "'Uh I didn’t know that was happening…' she had no idea what the interviewer was talking about."

A user mocked, "Holding space for this interview."

A person stated, "Who else is here after the breakdown interview where both Cynthia and Ariana said they had no idea what any of that meant?"

Another mentioned, "Poor cynthia had no idea what girl was saying."

A user wrote, "I feel like every Wicked media interview is like a weird satirical skit of how bizarre and ridiculous Hollywood is."

Another said, "This interview is so f**king funny oh my GOD."

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