Bowen Yang shares the emotional story of Ariana Grande's kind gesture

Bowen Yang recently spoke about the support he received from Ariana Grande while working on *Wicked* and juggling his commitments between London and New York.

In an interview with *The New Yorker*, Yang revealed that Grande was a source of comfort during a particularly challenging period. He described feeling drained by the constant travel and the pressures of balancing his roles in *Wicked* and *SNL*. “It was a gradual accumulation of idling, getting dressed up with nowhere to go, feeling like it was sanding down whatever I had preserved from the week before at SNL — whatever was left over of my psychic tolerance,” he said.

Yang also mentioned staying alone in a hotel in London’s King’s Cross, which added to his difficulties. He recounted how Grande reached out to him, offering support and a distraction. “This cannot sound anything but name-droppy, but Ariana Grande was reaching out and going, ‘Are you okay? Come over! Let’s just watch a movie. Let’s get you better,’” Yang said. He expressed deep gratitude for her genuine support, noting, “She was there for me in a true way.”

Grande also shared her thoughts on Yang in the same interview, praising him as “badass and incredible” for managing his dual commitments. She empathized with his situation, acknowledging the strain of frequent travel and performance. “I understand what it feels like to travel back and forth so often and then have to perform the next day with no time for your body or mind to figure out what’s going on,” Grande said. “So, I just wanted to make sure he had an ear and a hug and the support he needed.”