ICYMI, Ariana Grande and Victoria Justice have been in a rumored feud since 2010 when the two starred on Nickelodeon’s Victorious together. Over the past 10+ years though, both Ariana and Victoria have repeatedly denied any tension. In fact, when Ari posted about the Victorious 10th Anniversary special on Instagram in 2020, she clapped back at a user who brought up the feud in the comments.
Fast forward to 2023, where Victoria sets the record straight on the “stupid” rift rumors. “I feel like it’s this constant story of the media and people wanting to pit people against each other, and it’s just so not even relevant anymore now,” the actress told E! News at Coachella 2023.
Well, it seems this is the final chapter in the alleged Ariana-Victoria feud, but to take a look back at where it all began (including that iconic meme...), see our complete breakdown of the alleged Ariana Grande vs. Victoria Justice drama below.
April 2023
Thirteen years after the feud rumors began, Victoria is putting it all to rest. During an interview with E! News at Coachella on April 14, the actress addressed all of the unfounded claims. “I don’t even need to talk about this anymore, but Ariana texted me and we both were like, ‘This is so stupid.’ I think the biggest rumor is this whole narrative that was created of like me being jealous of her and of us not being friends,” she explained.
“I feel like it’s this constant story of the media and people wanting to pit people against each other, and it’s just so not even relevant anymore now. But I think that was probably the biggest thing, where I was like, ‘This is so dumb.’ Ten years later! How is this even a story? This is so stupid,” she added.
March 2020
In honor of Victorious’ 10th anniversary, the stars took to Instagram to share old pics and memories from their time on the show. Later, the cast even got together for a Zoom reunion.
Of course, old memories brought up old feud rumors, and one fan commented on Ariana’s Instagram, “I think we’re ALL the best.” This is a reference to a 2010 Popstar! magazine interview with Victoria, Ariana, Daniella Monet, and Elizabeth Gillies, where Elizabeth shared that Ariana sang all the time on the Victorious set. Daniella then added that Liz sings a lot too, to which Victoria replied, “I think we ALL sing.”
The video eventually became a meme and immediately sparked rumors of tension between Ariana and Victoria. But years later, Ari was having none of it. “Shut the f*ck up,” she responded to the commenter, effectively ending the conversation right then and there.
April 2019
The feud was brought up once again thanks to everyone’s favorite pit of celebrity gossip, aka Coachella. While Victoria spent the weekend enjoying the festival, fans noticed that she dipped out before Ari’s headlining set. “Until next time Coachella,” she wrote on Instagram. “Sorry I have to leave early, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again soon.”
Later, Victoria added an addendum on her Instagram with a Snapchat story (possibly because she saw comments about how she left before Ariana’s show). “There were so many artists I wanted to see, and, of course, I wanted to see Ariana tonight, but I know she's going to have an amazing show and she's going to kill it.”
November 2018
Ariana’s “Thank U, Next” music video was iconic for so many reasons, one of them being that it doubled as a Victorious reunion. Stars Matt Bennett, Liz Gilles, AND Daniella Monet were featured heavily in different parts of the vid, but fans took note that Victoria was absent from the video.
April 2017
The meme is born. When the 2010 interview with Popstar! magazine resurfaces, Victoria’s “I think we ALL sing” line becomes a viral meme, which prompts the actress to address the feud rumors once again.
April 2015
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Victoria was asked if she and Ariana would ever work together again, but the actress explained that she and Ari are on “separate paths.”
“I think we're kind of both on our own separate paths right now,” she said. “I've been more focused on acting and she's doing her singing thing and doing awesome.”
June 2013
Rumors of the feud escalated when Ariana sat down with Seventeen for her June 2013 cover story interview and discussed some drama with a former (unnamed) co-star.
“I worked with someone who told me they’d never like me,” she said. “But for some reason, I just felt like I needed her approval. So I started changing myself to please her. It made me stop being social and friendly. I was so unhappy.”
Two years later, Victoria responded to the quote on The Meredith Vieira Show. “I would love to set the record straight because I feel like these rumors have been going on for way too long,” she said. “So, basically there was an article in Seventeen magazine where she had said that she was bullied on set and the magazine basically alluded to it being me. So, once the article came out — actually before it came out — she texted me privately and was like, ‘Oh my gosh. I am so sorry, you know how the media twists words. I was not talking about you, obviously. I was talking about someone on Broadway that I had worked with.’”
Later, Ari made a statement to Seventeen about the quote. “My years filming Victorious were some of the HAPPIEST of my life and that cast is family to me,” she said. “The stories I shared with Seventeen were actually reflective of a different work experience. Please don’t send hate to anyone, it’s undeserved and I would never want that. Love you guys VERY much, and thank you for being here and supporting me. Also, thank you to Seventeen for allowing me this opportunity.”
February 2013
A month after Victorious ended, Ariana allegedly hopped on her ask.fm account (OMG, remember those?) to get the record straight as to why the show came to an end.
“Sweetheart the only reason Victorious ended is because 1 girl didn't want to do it,” she wrote. “She chose to do a solo tour instead of a cast tour. If we had done a cast tour Nickelodeon would have ordered another season of Victorious while Sam & Cat filmed simultaneously but she chose otherwise. I'm sick of this bs.”
Some assumed that Ariana was referencing Victoria, who went on tour in the summer of 2013. After the ask.fm post, Victoria didn’t directly address what was said, but she did make a comment on Twitter that raised some eyebrows. “Some people would throw some1 that they consider a friend under the bus just 2 make themselves look good. #StopBeingAPhony #IfTheyOnlyKnew.”
April 2010
Back to where it all began. In an interview with Popstar! magazine in 2010, the girls of Victorious, including Ariana, Victoria, Elizabeth Gillies, and Daniella Monet, reveal cast secrets. In the now-famous clip, Liz talked about Ariana’s tendency to sing a lot. “She sings everything,” Liz said. “And it’s a good thing because she has a beautiful voice, but it’s awesome. She sings absolutely everything, she never stops.”
Daniella then chimed in to say that Liz also sings a lot, which prompted Victoria to say, “I think we ALL sing.” The moment didn’t seem like anything but an awkward interview at the time, but the internet, of course, dissected Victoria’s response and questioned if she was throwing shade at Ariana.
Carolyn Twersky is an associate editor for Seventeen covering celebrities, entertainment, politics, trends, and health. On her off time, she's probably watching Ru Paul's Drag Race, traversing NYC for the best donuts, or, most likely, enjoying time in her favorite place in the world: her bed.
