The sense of entitlement to an artist's time and attention from some fans has become ridiculous, and perhaps even dangerous.
This was recently exemplified between Ariana Grande and her fans in Brazil when the singer was outright threatened with violence after a flight mishap caused her and her team to miss the Brazilian premiere of Wicked: For Good.
Grande had announced on Instagram that she would not be able to make it to the premiere due to maintenance issues on the plane that caused a significant delay. She went on to say that she and her team tried many solutions before realizing Grande would not be making it, and that she was very sorry.
"i am so heartbroken that i'm unable to be there with you all. we sincerely tried everything we could and i apologize from the bottom of my heart."
@arianagrande/Instagram
Grande stars in this second installment of the film adaptation of the Wicked musical, the first of which came out around this time only a year ago.
She plays Glinda (the good witch) to Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) in the story of how the characters from The Wizard of Oz came to be. The multi-part adaptation also stars Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, an actor known well for his work in Bridgerton as well as being 2025's "Sexiest Man Alive" at People magazine.
Many fans in Brazil received this news with sadness, but some were apparently so angry about Grande not showing up that they went as far as to threaten violence upon Grande.
@arianagrande/Instagram
Plenty of fans denounced the ones who threatened Grande and her team.
They pointed out the irony of being a fan so much that you threaten the very thing you say you're a fan of.
Some saw this as just another example of artists going on a world tour and skipping Brazil.
Ultimately, folks generally agreed: Grande is only human, just like us.
Wicked: For Good is having rolling premieres around the world this month.
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit
u/Duskymoonlight/Reddit