Fact Check: Did Ariana Grande attend 'Companion' premiere? Viral photo debunked as red carpet photo leaves netizens confused

Several pictures from the new Warner Bros. horror film, Companion have been going viral, and the netizens were confused to see Ariana Grande walking the red carpet.

As several images of a woman in a black gown with blonde hair went viral on social media, several netizens questioned if it was really Ariana Grande walking the ramp on the Companion premiere.

However, the woman seen is not Ariana Grande, but her impersonator, Paige Niemann, who has also gone viral in the past for her resemblance with the singer.

The news was debunked after Paige uploaded multiple pictures of herself from the event on several platforms like Instagram, TikTok and even X. She captioned the images:

"I had such an amazing time at the @companionmovie world premiere! thank you @iamwriterboy & @kingvader for making this possible 🖤”

Furthermore, this is not the first time that Paige has left the world of social media bewildered with her appearance, as she has previously drawn many controversies over her impression of the singer. As per Newsweek, the internet personality was also banned from TikTok in November 2024 for the same.

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Ariana Grande did not attend the “Companion” premier: Fake news debunked as Paige Niemann leaves the fans puzzled

Many social media users got confused about Paige Niemann as Ariana Grande. It is worth noting that Paige’s fashion choices, makeup, and high ponytail make her resemble the singer, which often leaves fans confused. For this reason, Paige has also been banned from TikTok in the past, as multiple users reported her for mimicking Grande.

In fact, Ariana Grande has also addressed people imitating her and shared her disapproval of the same. While she did not name anyone in particular, her message was clear when she posted a video by filmmaker Jordan Firstman on her Instagram stories in 2020. In the video posted, Jordan criticized people imitating stars and said:

“What if we, like, we took a moment, like a small clip from a movie or a TV show — something that, like, an artist really poured their soul into and it, like, it just took them years to make, and it was an uphill battle the entire time — what if we took a moment from that and we kind of, like, recontextualized it?"

He continued:

"Like, does that make sense? And we put a completely arbitrary meaning onto that thing that the artist loves so much? Kind of, like, degrading its entire value?"

Sharing the video on her story, Grande also added her comments to the video, however, she did not name Paige Niemann anywhere. On the other hand, fans were prompted to speculate that she was talking about Paige, as she wrote:

"Can this please also double as your impression of the ponytail TikTok girls who think doing the Cat Valentine voice and that wearing winged eyeliner and a sweatshirt is doing a good impersonation of me? Cause this is really how it feels. “Degrading its entire value” I screamed.”

Furthermore, while Niemann’s pictures from the event continue to confuse the masses, neither Ariana Grande nor Paige have spoken up about the recent controversy. On the other hand, it is also worth noting that the Companion premiere was held in Los Angeles, and the film will be released in the country on January 31, 2025.