Ariana Grande impersonator Paige Niemann has shared a private DM she received from the pop star after going viral online.
Niemann, who built a huge online following thanks to her resemblance to Grande, has opened up about the message in a new six-part documentary series Turning The Paige, which is available now via Apple TV. Watch it here.
The series follows Niemann as she attempts to “reclaim her identity” after years of being known online as an Ariana Grande lookalike. The first episode sees her stepping back into the spotlight, while later episodes explore the online backlash and her attempts to build a career on her own terms.
In the documentary, Niemann shares a message she says Grande sent her in 2019, after the singer came across videos of her impersonating both Grande and her Nickelodeon character Cat Valentine from Victorious.
“I am flattered and i am sure you’re very sweet,” Grande reportedly wrote. “but i just wanted you to know, i looked back a little ways on your page and i think someone should tell you if they haven’t today that you’re very beautiful as YOURSELF.”
Ariana Grande impersonator Paige Niemann reveals in her documentary that the singer DMed her:
“i am flattered and i am sure you’re very sweet. but i just wanted you to know, i looked back a little ways on your page and i think someone should tell you if they haven’t today that… pic.twitter.com/5kWvMKeEDh
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 8, 2026
The DM reportedly continued: “Without all the make up and trying to make your face look more similar to someone else’s and whatnot. i had to say it because it is the truth. always do what makes you happy of course but if i didn’t say that to you, i’d regret it. you’re beautiful as you are. take care.”
Niemann first went viral in 2019, when clips of her recreating Grande’s signature high ponytail, winged eyeliner and mannerisms spread widely on TikTok. Grande herself responded publicly at the time, describing it as “bizarre” to see her Cat Valentine voice paired with her then-current pop star image, while adding that she was sure Niemann was “the sweetest”.
Grande is currently preparing to release her eighth studio album ‘Petal’, which is set to arrive on July 31 via Republic Records.
The album follows 2024’s ‘Eternal Sunshine’ and its deluxe edition ‘Brighter Days Ahead’, and includes the lead single ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me’. Grande recently unveiled the full tracklist during a show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
The ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour kicked off in Oakland earlier this month and will include a 10-night residency at The O2 in London later this year. Find any remaining tickets here.
The album comes after Grande reassured fans last year that she was not “abandoning” music while continuing to focus on acting. She is due to appear in the comedy sequel Focker-In-Law alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, and will head to London’s West End in 2027 to star in Sunday In The Park With George opposite Jonathan Bailey.
Grande also recently launched a new foundation aimed at supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and hit out at the White House for using her music in a recent ICE video online.
