"She was being held back": Netizens react as Ariana Grande seemingly hints that former management hindered her pre-Wicked career

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Ariana Grande reflected on her career and the challenges she faced before her Wicked era. Her remarks and revelations have generated notable reactions online as she appeared to suggest that her career struggles before Wicked were partly due to her former management.

Ariana Grande said:

"I think it got away from me in a way I did not expect. There is a thing that comes along with your dreams coming true that feels dangerous at times."

Then, the singer added:

"And by the way, I have a different team now. Said with love, but that was a piece."

Some fans took that as a subtle reference to her split from former manager Scooter Braun. Ariana Grande continued:

"I have never felt this connected to my art or inspired, and that's just been such a tremendous gift. It is like, oh, I don't actually have to take on those things that were projected onto me. I can focus on my art and that can be a separate entity. But I had to give myself the permission to think that."

Netizens reacted to her candid statement, saying:

"She did not fall off, she was being held back. Now that she is free, the confidence in her voice says it all. This is the era where Ariana owns her story, not just her songs."

Internet reactions to Ariana Grande seemingly hinting that former management hindered her pre-Wicked career

Pop Base took to its official X (formerly Twitter) page to post that,

"Ariana Grande hints that her struggles with her music career pre-‘Wicked’ were partially caused by her former management: "There’s a thing that comes along with your dreams coming true that feels dangerous at times. [...] And by the way, I have a different team now. Said with love, but that was a piece.”"

Netizens were notably quick to weigh in on the comment section of the X post as they shared their opinions on Ariana Grande's statement. Below are some of their remarks:

"That "said with love" is the sound of professional scar tissue. She did not leave music; she escaped a system that prioritized monetization velocity over creative longevity. You never know how much a structure is muffling you until you leave it. This is not just a new team but it is a reclaimed architecture for her art.", noted a netizen.

"Ariana Grande's former manager, Scooter Braun, was her long-time representative (starting in 2013). Their separation in 2023 was notable because it coincided with other major clients, including Demi Lovato and J Balvin, also parting ways with his management company, SB Projects.", stated another.

"Ariana Grande really said 'my old team was trash' with her whole chest 💀🎤 Nothing like a career comeback to make you air out all the dirty laundry publicly.", commented a third.

Others also chimed in:

"finally the shade drops scooter braun out here building empires on broken trust ariana flipping the script with wicked timing love how shes owning her glow up while the past fades to footnotes whos next to spill", penned an X user.

"Maybe I’m ignorant or oblivious, but what struggles was she having with her music career ? Every album went #1 and she had multiple #1 singles and fans wanted her to keep touring. Someone please enlighten me cause I’m an Ariana grande fan to from my pov her career looked great", added another.

"They made her into one of the biggest pop stars in the world, what is she complaining about? Genuinely confused.", shared a third.

Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine world tour is all set to kick off in June 2026. The tour supports her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine. Below are all the confirmed dates for the tour: