Kristin Chenoweth is finally addressing those rumors regarding her relationship with Wicked costar, Idina Menzel.
“We are so different in the way we do our process that of course rumors are going to fly, right?” Chenoweth, 57, told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Monday, November 3, addressing online speculation that the pair did not get along while working together on Wicked.
“She and I, only we know what we went through to get to where we were,” she continued.“We would die for each other. So it’s like sisters. Are sisters always perfect? So it’s family. That’s the best way I can describe it.”
Rumors quickly circulated online that the two women didn’t get along after both were nominated for Tony Awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in 2004. (Menzel walked away the winner.)
Kristin Chenoweth Says Wicked’s Original Plot Wasn’t as Friendship-Focused
Since then, both Menzel and Chenoweth have decided to publicly clear the air regarding their relationship.
“I’d like to speak on this,” Chenoweth told Vulture in an October 2023 interview of the feud rumors. “After a certain amount of time after we opened, my mom was dealing with cancer. I was emotional, and I was thinking about some other things. To me, there was no way that I would win a Tony. Yes, it’s the two girls as leads. But it’s Elphaba’s story. I needed to deal with that part of me.”
She continued, “I was very emotional. I tried to push it out, I mean, if only people knew.”
Menzel then chimed in, adding, “Unfortunately, people like to do that to women. They can’t be supportive of one another. You have to put all this conflict in there. We were tired and extremely supportive of one another.”
The pair were each cast in the original Broadway production of Wicked in 2003. The musical was initially slammed by critics — a reaction Chenoweth said was difficult to deal with at the time, but one she ultimately paled in comparison to what the actress later considered to be the bigger picture..
“I knew it when we opened in San Francisco,” she explained to the outlet. “I knew it. I remember talking to Idina after opening night in New York. It was a sad day. She goes, ‘We should have gotten good reviews.’ I go, ‘No. It doesn’t matter. You are the green girl who flies at the end of Act 1. I come down in a bubble. We sing ‘For Good.’ And the people have spoken.’”
While beginning production with positive reviews would have been nice, she said, the audience who saw the performance was what mattered — and they were happy. “I wanted the good reviews for our show but I knew it wasn’t going to matter because I heard the audience.,” Chenoweth explained.
Though Chenoweth left the production in April 2004 and Menzel in January 2005, the pair made surprise cameos in 2024’s film adaptation of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Eviro as Glinda and Elphaba — but they will not be in the follow-up, 2025’s Wicked: For Good.
“I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk about that,” Chenoweth said. “I don’t think it hurts to say no, I’m not. I think we kind of did our thing and passed the broom and wand, so to speak. But I can’t wait to see it. I kind of know a lot about it from my girl [Grande], so I just can’t wait.”
Kristin Chenoweth Gives Ariana Grande a Glinda-Worthy Fashion Gift: ‘Proud of You’
Since its debut on Broadway in 2003, Wicked has become the fourth-longest running musical in history, a milestone the play reached in April 2023. At the time, the production had just put on its 7,486th show at the Gershwin Theatre. As of 2025, Wicked has put on 8,522 productions and is fourth behind The Lion King (10,985), Chicago (11,361) and The Phantom of the Opera (13,981).
