6
Credit: Inside the MagicAriana Grande is no stranger to making the headlines, but this latest story isn’t one of the more positive tales to emerge about the pop starlet.
Celebrities are a regular fixture at theme parks. Whether it’s Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, or Universal Studios, the typical procedure is often that a celebrity is accompanied by an employee as they make their way around the park – partly because they can shell out the thousands for a VIP Tour Guide, but also partly because it helps prevent the celebrity from causing a frenzy mid-park.
However, sometimes these celebs aren’t entirely gracious to the cast members or theme park employees simply doing their job by showing them around the park – as proven by a tale from a former Universal Orlando Resort team member.
According to a video originally shared by TikToker @tombreadison, Ariana Grande caused a massive fuss during a past visit to Halloween Horror Nights. Back in 2023, at the peak of social media backlash against Grande amid rumors of an extramarital affair with her Wicked (2024) co-star Ethan Slater (of “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical” fame), they joined in on a thread about how much nobody can dislike Grande as much as Disney cast members.
The TikToker detailed Ariana Grande’s rude demands and rule-breaking at Universal Studios Florida.
“I was working Halloween Horror Nights as a performer one year, and the house was super busy,” they said. “All of a sudden, it was like dead. Like, nobody was in the house. And it was really weird cause we’re like, what the heck, this is a sold-out night. Like, the line’s an hour long. Why are there no Guests in that line for that house?”
As anyone who’s visited a sold-out Horror Night can tell you, the houses and mazes are far from empty. However, it seems like Ariana Grande and her team insisted on emptying out each house before she entered.
“All of a sudden, a group of bodyguards, like literally a group of bodyguards, Ariana Grande, and her dog came through,” the TikToker continued. “And like, of course, I didn’t know at the time it was Ariana Grande. But then after looking at social media and looking at Frankie Grande – ’cause you know, he’s in Orlando a lot – I’m like, oh, that was Ariana Grande, that was kind of cool.”
However, the user later discovered that Ariana Grande – who is a notable theme park fan, having previously publicly pleaded with Disney not to change Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! – was being “super rude to the team members.”
During her time in Universal Studios Florida, team members were “putting her in a golf cart and escorting her around the park, like backstage, so she wouldn’t be seen. She was demanding free food, she was pissed off because they would have to clear the house then let her walk through and she was being impatient because there had to be time to clear the guests out of the park so she could have her own experience going to the houses.”
Related: Ariana Grande Silences Haters In New ‘Wicked’ BTS Video
Not only that, but the pop star – known for hits such as “thank u next” and “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” – was openly violating Universal Orlando Resort rules by bringing her dog into the park. As per Universal Orlando Resort’s website, “animals who do not meet the definition of a Service Animal will not be permitted in the park.”
“She was just completely disrespectful,” said the TikToker, “and I have been wanting to tell that story forever.”
This isn’t the only story shared about Ariana Grande being rude in a theme park. Disney cast members have also shared their own experiences dealing with Grande, who allegedly has a history of forcing attractions to be shut down for hours, kicking all guests out of the queue so that she could ride alone.
“Oh, no, no, no. Ariana Grande doesn’t just cut lines, okay? She shuts them down,” said TikToker @teresa_jack. “Ariana Grande comes out here and says, ‘No, the whole Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster? Shut the whole thing down, okay?”
Grande may soon have more overlap with the theme park community than she did at the time these stories first emerged on social media.
Fresh off her Academy Award-nominated turn as Glinda in Wicked – and ahead of the premiere of Wicked: For Good (2025) later this year – Grande’s performance has inspired meet-and-greets at several Universal Studios theme parks. There are also talks of incorporating the film into future theme park expansions – including, some have theorized, the soon-to-open Epic Universe.
Have you ever seen a famous person be rude at a theme park? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments!