Ariana Grande Just Detailed The Wholesome Loophole Her Mom Found To Get Around A Rule That Parents Couldn't Stay For Rehearsals When Ari Was In Stage Shows As A Kid
Ariana Grande has revealed just how dedicated her mom, Joan Grande, was to keeping a close eye on her when she pursued acting as a child.
While she is now best known for being both an iconic popstar and an Oscar-nominated actor for her performance as Glinda in Wicked, Ariana actually started out on the stage.
She got her big break in 13: The Musical back in 2008, when she was 14 years old.
Ariana then enjoyed TV success on the Nickelodeon shows Victorious and Sam & Cat between 2010 and 2014.
And before all of that, Ariana was an active member of her local community theater, and during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, she explained that this meant her mom was an active participant, too.
In fact, Ariana said that Joan refused to leave her alone for rehearsals when she was as young as eight, and to get around the rules about this, Joan would get herself cast in the same productions so that she could stay.
'There wasn't anything she missed,' Ari began. 'Even when I was younger, she would audition for the shows when I was in family theater, community theatre, so that she could stay at the rehearsals.'
'Usually they were like: 'No parents, we'll see you after pick up,'' she clarified. 'And [Joan] was like: 'I'll play the apple seller in Annie; apples! Apples! Who wants apples?''
When Jimmy asked if she got the part, Ariana confirmed: 'She got it and she nailed it, yeah.'
'It was so that she could be there to support me and be there during rehearsals,' she added. 'It was very sweet.'
While the host wondered if this was a good thing, Ari insisted that it was 'great' because of her young age — and the people of the internet agree, with many praising Joan for keeping her young daughter close.
Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic
Quote-tweeting the clip from the interview, one person wrote: 'That's a good stage parent.'
'Her mom really took all precautions necessary to protect her,' somebody else wrote. One more added: 'This is such a special and wise thing for her mother to do.'
'I love Joan so much like she really protected her baby,' another user tweeted.
Ariana is incredibly close to her family, and she regularly attends red carpet events with Joan, her brother Frankie Grande, and even her beloved ' Nonna,' who has taken a step back from the spotlight in recent months — no doubt due to her recently turning 99 years old.
Frazer Harrison via Getty
Ari also regularly posts about her loved ones on her Instagram page, including when she flew back to her hometown in Florida for just one day for a cozy family screening of Wicked.
Speaking about her close relationship with her family on Kimmel, Ariana said: 'I have a very, very supportive family; I'm so grateful.'
What do you make of Joan's approach to keeping an eye on little Ariana during rehearsals? Let me know in the comments!
joan auditioning and getting roles at ariana's community theather shows when she was a kid to be with her during rehearsals because parents weren't allowed to stay 😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/lQe4k6oEcP
— ໊ (@dieforyous) February 6, 2025
ABC / Via x.com
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