14-05-2025
Victoria Justice recalls receiving DEATH THREATS over tense exchange with Ariana Grande
Victoria Justice has spoken out about the immense backlash she received over a tense exchange involving Ariana Grande.
The now-viral video from 2010 features a teen Victoria, who was starring in the Nickelodeon series Victorious, being interviewed outdoors alongside her cast members, which included Ariana Grande, Liz Gillies and Daniella Monet.
The interviewer asked the girls which cast member sings the most outside of filming before they largely agreed Ariana did.
However, Victoria - who played lead character Tori Vega - interjected with: 'I think we ALL sing,' while crossing her arms.
The clip had fans speculating there was a lot of tension between Ariana and Victoria, with some guessing they were not friends.
Victoria, now 32, went on to address it in a post online in 2017, shutting it down by writing: 'I think we ALL have better things to do than dredging up seven-year-old non-existent drama. That said, I'm kind of excited to finally be a meme.'
But she was forced to further shut down rumors of on-set feuds in a 2023 interview with E! News.
'This whole narrative that was created of me being jealous of [Ariana] and us not being friends,' she said.
She continued: 'I feel like it's this constant story of the media and people wanting to put people against each other and it's just... so not even relevant right now.'
Victoria said the rumors were 'so dumb,' adding: 'Ten years later. How is this even a story? This is so stupid.'
'I don't even need to talk about this anymore, but Ariana texted me and we both were like, "This is so stupid,"' she explained. 'I think the biggest rumor is this whole narrative that was created of like me being jealous of her and of us not being friends.'
The actress bought it up the viral moment again in a recent interview on Mythical Kitchen's Last Meals, admitting there was a lot of 'hate' towards her which she found difficult.
Victoria noted that it was 'very sweet' when people have expressed regret over the meme and rumors that came with it, especially since she'd dealt with a lot of hate for a long time.
'There was a time for so long on the internet where I felt like people hated me,' she admitted to host Joel.
'It can really be a ruthless place. And mob mentality is such a real thing,' she added.
'First of all, it's factual. We did all sing, okay? What do you want from me?! Speaking the facts,' she quipped.
However, the actress and singer admitted the backlash from the viral meme was 'wild.'
'I got like death threats,' she admitted. 'I felt bad for my mom because she was looking at all the stuff online and she was like she was freaking out.'
In 2024, the former child actress spoke to Marie Claire about disgraced TV producer Dan Schneider, and her working experience as a child and her reaction to the docuseries, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV.
While she sees her time at Nickelodeon positively, she did highlight some of the negatives while discussing Quiet On Set with the publication.
'Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people, and there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly,' she explained.
Many of those interviewed in the docuseries had accused Schneider of sneaking sexual overtones and double entendres into children's programming but the actress said that was not her personal experience but did admit there were certain moments that 'were in poor taste.'
After the release of the docuseries Schneider had addressed some of the allegations and did admit that he owes apologies to many people.
Victoria told writer of the piece Jazmine Hughes: 'I would say I'm definitely one of the people on that list.'
The actress said that she has rarely been in contact with the former producer since she left the children's network aside from an occasional birthday text.
She explained: 'I'm not condoning any of his behavior. At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one: I met him when I was 12 years old, and he's the person that gave me this big break.
'He completely changed my life. Most likely I wouldn't be here where I am today if it weren't for him, and for him seeing something in me. For that I will always be grateful.'
Victoria seemingly still has a soft spot for the embattled producer especially after seeing his apology.
She said: 'After watching his apology, I think he recognizes that he did a lot of things wrong, and I think if he could step back into a time machine, he would do a lot of things differently.'
