Like any relationship, the one Ariana Grande shares with her fans isn’t perfect. While taking a lie detector test with her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo for Vanity Fair, the 31-year-old pop star was candid about the complex dynamic she has with her millions of listeners.
“I love them always, but I think sometimes they can hurt my feelings,” Grande said in the video posted Monday (Sept. 30).
“Sometimes I don’t like them, but I love them always,” the “Yes, And?” singer added as Erivo nodded sympathetically. “It’s a hard relationship. [It’s] sort of weirdly parasocial, but it feels very real to me.”
In service of her point, Grande also confirmed that she still maintains yearslong friendships with multiple people who started off as a fans, and revealed that she’s DM’d admirers just to chat multiple times throughout her career. She also gave her thoughts on the name her fanbase has coined for itself: “Arianators.”
“I’ve accepted it, but would I pick that? Of course not,” she said, laughing. “That would be insane.”
Filmed in conjunction with Grande and Erivo’s joint Vanity Fair cover story, the lie detector test also gave the R.E.M. Beauty founder an opportunity to set the record straight on numerous plastic surgery rumors that have followed her over the past couple of years. As the Harriet star fired off different procedures, Grande confirmed that no, she hasn’t had a nose job, face lift, eye lift, chin implant, Brazilian butt lift or breast surgery (“No, can you imagine?”) as the machine confirmed she was telling the truth each time.
“This is the best day of my life,” she said. “Take that, you YouTube people.”
“I’ve had fillers in various places, and botox, but I stopped like four years ago,” Grande added. “That is the extent. But also, like, [I’m] in full support of all people who do these things. Work. Whatever makes women, men, non-gender-conforming people feel beautiful should be allowed. Why do we care?”
Watch Grande take the lie detector test above.
