Featured Image Credit: Don Arnold/WireImage
Topics: Ariana Grande, TV And Film, Celebrity
Mia Williams
Topics: Ariana Grande, TV And Film, Celebrity
Ariana Grande has revealed a name change after reconnecting with her father, which fans noticed during the credits of Wicked.
Fans of the singer have long awaited the release of Wicked in cinemas, which stars Grande as Glinda the Good Witch of the North.
Her co-star, British actress Cynthia Erivo, plays Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West.
But eagle-eyed fans noticed something totally unrelated in the credits of the film - that Grande had changed her name.
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At the beginning and end of the movie, the star's name read 'Ariana Grande-Butera', a mix of both her mother and father's name.
The singer fell out of touch with her dad, Ed Butera, in 2013, following a split from her mum, Joan Grande, when she was just eight.
But it seems as though the star is now back in touch with her dad following the sweet tribute.
Grande opened up about their complicated relationship during an interview with Seventeen in 2014.
She said: "It’s private… It took me so long to be OK with it.
"So much of me comes from my father, and for so long, I didn’t like that about myself.
"I had to accept that it’s OK not to get along with somebody and still love them."
However, in more recent years the pair seem to have reconnected. Grande invited both of her parents along to the 62nd Grammy Awards back in 2020.
Butera was also present at Grande's wedding in 2021.
Lucky fans in Sydney, Australia, were among the first to watch the new Wicked movie unfold, and were nothing short of blown away.
One viewer said it was 'so good' that she 'cried five times'.
But despite the excitement, the film has also faced some backlash, after director Jon M. Chu announced that the movie was going to be released in two parts...one year apart.
Wicked Part Two will be released in November 2025, so it's going to be a long wait for eager fans.
Explaining the reasoning behind the decision in a statement, the director said: "We decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one ‘Wicked’ movie but two!
"With more space, we can tell the story of ‘Wicked’ as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys for these beloved characters.”
Talking about their off-screen relationship in an interview with Vanity Fair, Erivo said: "We needed real connection, and we needed to lead this with love—even in the moments that are supposed to be fraught with tension within the piece.”
Grande added: "We communicated like the f***ing champions of communication of the world."