Ariana Grande Is Actually *Not* Starring in That Ryan Murphy Netflix Musical
It turns out, Ariana Grande won't be in Ryan Murphy's The Prom after all.
Earlier this week, fans were super excited to find out the pop star had been cast in the star-studded Netflix adaptation of the Broadway musical, which also included Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, The Late Late Night's James Corden, Crazy Rich Asians star Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key and Andrew Rannells.
Deadline originally reported Grande would play Alyssa, a closeted popular high school student, daughter of the PTA president and Emma's secret girlfriend, in a story about "four down-and-out theater actors who head to Indiana, where they help a teen whose prom was canceled when she tried to bring her girlfriend as her date."
Grande was also set to produce the film's soundtrack alongside Murphy and manager Scooter Braun, however, according to Billboard, the "thank u, next" singer won't be involved because it conflicts with her tour schedule.
This would make sense considering Grande just added more dates to her Sweetener Tour and since filming for The Prom reportedly starts in December 2019, it wouldn't be possible for her to juggle both at the same time.
Meanwhile, Seventeen points out that fans were upset to see Grande playing a character who is a lesbian woman of color. It's unclear if this is another reason why she's not involved, but it may have played a factor.