Ariana Grande Chimes In On Mini-Reunion Of 'Victorious' Stars Elizabeth Gillies And Victoria Justice
Multi-hypenate entertainer Ariana Grande recently shared her take on a sweet reunion between two of her co-stars from 'Victorious.'
A sweet recent mini-reunion between “Victorious” stars Elizabeth (Liz) Gillies and Victoria Justice had Ariana Grande – or Ariana Grande-Butera, if you will - deep in her feelings.
The former co-stars shared the screen during Nickelodeon’s hit series for four seasons starting in 2010. More than a decade after the series ended, the three talents are now showing their fans that time has done little to break their bond.
Ariana Grande Chimes In On A Rare ‘Jori’ Sighting
Grande reportedly became emotional after seeing snaps taken of Gillies and Justice at “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane’s recent holiday shindig.
In one photo shared on Instagram by Justice, the two women can be seen standing side-by-side, showing off their Christmas-themed looks, with Gillies rocking a glittery green dress and Justice draped in a black shoulder-bearing mini with long sleeves and white trimming.
In another, the actresses, both 31, warmly embrace one another with smiles on their faces.
“Saw some old friends, made some new,” the “Gold” singer captioned the post, which had added nostalgia via Justice’s song choice – “It’s Not Christmas Without You,” a tune taken from “Victorious.”
Sometime after, Gillies responded with a nod to their old characters.
“A Christmas Jori,” the “Dynasty” starlet wrote, using a fan amalgamation of their character’s names (Jade and Tori).
Later, Grande, who played the lovable ditz, Cat Valentine, commented on Justice’s post with five teary-eyed emojis, which led Justice to respond with kissing faces and a hug emoji. Aww!
Grande And Justice Think Their Alleged Beef With One Another Is ‘So Stupid’
For years, Grande’s fans have insinuated there is bad blood between the “Yes, And?” vocalist and Justice, due to the former having a seemingly more substantial career than the other.
“I think the biggest rumor is this whole narrative [of] me being jealous of her and of us not being friends," Justice relayed to E! News in 2023.
The matter mostly stems from a now infamous viral video of an old interview with the female cast of “Victorious,” including Justice, Grande, Gillies, and Daniella Monet.
In it, the young women are asked to share things about one another that fans may not be aware of. Gillies and Monet bring up Grande’s amazing vocal skills, to which Justice adds, “I think we all sing.”
What most fail to realize from the clip is that Justice didn’t intend to shade Grande – the reality is, they did all sing, which is partly how they received their roles on “Victorious.”
Justice only felt that their answer to the question was too obvious and nothing more.
“I feel like it's this constant story of the media and people wanting to pit people against each other,” Justice further explained, “and it's just so not even relevant now. Ariana texted me, and we both were like, 'This is so stupid.’”
Grande Still Has Nothing But ‘Love’ For Her ‘Victorious’ Crew
Though far removed from her days as a Nickelodeon personality, Grande remains extremely close to he “Victorious” co-stars.
She once shared with PEOPLE that the cast still has an active group chat with one another and that she’d love to work with them again someday.
"The love is still there, and I hope we get to do something soon together because we have so much fun, and that was such a special time," she specified.
"I mean, no one could really understand that time,” she continued. “We're bonded for life over it. It was really special."
Gillies Was One Of Grande’s Earliest Supporters For Her ‘Wicked’ Dream
Likewise, cast mates like Gillies, who first met Grande when they were both Broadway performers in their early teens, have nothing but warm words about each other.
In the lead-up to the release of “Wicked,” she revealed how the two of them often spoke about Grande’s wish to tackle the role of Galinda Upright/Glinda the Good at some point in her career.
“When I met her at 13 or 14 years old, Wicked was her show, and Glinda was her girl," Gillies would note.
"We would sing the songs together, and she would tell me about her dream of playing this role. I know, throughout the audition process, how hard she worked and how much she wanted it. It is so incredibly well-earned."
‘Make It Shine’ All Over Again By Revisiting ‘Victorious’
For those seeking a bit of nostalgia and a display of Grande’s early acting chops, all four seasons of “Victorious" can currently be streamed on Paramount +.
