Timeline of Ariana Grande and Jennifer Coolidge's friendship explored

With six of her seven studio albums topping the Billboard 200 album charts, Ariana Grande has positioned herself as a superstar of the pop music world. Beyond music, Grande is also a skilled actress - with a musical fantasy film she starred in dropping at the box office in November 2024.

Another skill that the singer-songwriter possesses is impersonating other celebrities, which is apparently what marked the beginning of her friendship with the Legally Blonde actress, Jennifer Coolidge. While the two celebrities are 30 years apart in age, that hasn't stopped them from forming a close bond over the years.

What started as a funny impression led to collaboration in music videos, joint interviews, and a lasting friendship between Ariana Grande and Jennifer Coolidge.

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Ariana Grande did a Jennifer Coolidge impression on the Jimmy Fallon Show in 2018

Ariana Grande's guest appearance on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show in 2018 marked the beginning of her friendship with Jennifer Coolidge. On the show, when Fallon asked her to do a Jennifer Coolidge impression, Grande admitted how Best In Show and Legally Blonde were some of her favorite movies. Then, the Bang Bang singer went on to do Coolidge's impression of Paulette from Legally Blonde, saying:

"God! You look like the fourth of July. I'm taking the dog, dumbass."

Four years later, when Coolidge was invited on the show as a guest, Fallon showed her clips of the other celebrities who have impersonated her characters on the show in the past, one of which was Grande's clip.

After watching the clip, the The White Lotus actress admitted:

"You should know that it was sort of the beginning of a lot of cool things that happened for me, because I was - sort of going through a dead zone, not much was going on. And then, Ariana did this imitation on your show, and you encouraged her, and then this ball got rolling."

Coolidge went on to reveal how one of her friends that was Grande's age - Teresa - suggested that she DM the singer-songwriter to compliment her on the imitation. While Jennifer was initially hesitant to do so, she still went ahead and did it. And as Grande responded, she approached the actress for a cameo in thank u, next, which led Coolidge to her house for a wardrobe fitting soon afterward.

In the music video for the track, Ariana Grande invited Coolidge in her iconic Legally Blonde persona.

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Ariana Grande interviewed Coolidge for Entertainment Weekly in 2022

After working together in thank u, next, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Coolidge remained close friends. In 2022, Grande shared a meticulous tribute to Coolidge's character, Sherri Ann Cabot, from the 2000 mockumentary Best In Show for 2022's Halloween.

According to Bustle, Coolidge not only appreciated the gesture but also reciprocated it the following year by dressing as Grande's dog, Toulouse, in the following year's Halloween.

As 2022 came to an end, Entertainment Weekly crowned Jennifer Coolidge as the Entertainer of the Year, and invited Ariana Grande to interview the actress on the occasion.

In the interview, the we can't be friends singer addressed Coolidge as "the queen of all things funny and brilliant". When the actress credited Grande for being the one "that got things going," for her, the singer-songwriter called it "wildly untrue," further saying:

"I love you so much. I think the timing was just so beautiful, and you just deserved the entire world. I'm shy, and I just felt so lucky you did that video. Thank you for doing that, by the way. That was one of the most fun days of my entire life."

Coolidge returned her compliments, calling Ariana the "youngest iconic legend" she could think of, thereafter addressing her as a "superstar." Elsewhere in the interview, Grande also admitted to loving Coolidge's show, The White Lotus, adding:

"I've been watching season 2 every week as it comes out. It's the highlight of my week, being able to watch you. I just adore Tanya, and your work on White Lotus."

Towards the end of the interview, when the Wicked actress asked Coolidge about her ideal location for the third season of The White Lotus, she brought up the idea of doing a show in Asia. That led to Ariana Grande recommending Jennifer take a vacation, and suggesting that she travel to Japan since it was "the best place in the world". The duo agreed to take the vacation together, and fans are waiting for it to happen.