Ariana Grande On Perceptions She’s An “Evil Diva” & Relationship With Fans: “Sometimes I Don’t Like Them, But I Love Them Always”

Ariana Grande opened up about how her fans perceive her and their relationship with her.

The Wicked star said in a recent interview how fame has been a challenge to her mental health over the years.

“The back-and-forth throughout the course of my career has been really hard to navigate mentally,” Grande said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “I was this approachable, funny redhead on Nickelodeon and everyone liked me.”

Grande got her start starring in Nickelodeon shows like Victorious and Sam & Cat. She would find success topping music charts with a string of hits like “Problem,” “Break Free” and “Bang Bang.”

“And then I had one too many hit records, and everyone decided that I was an evil diva,” she continued. “And then other terrible things happened, and all of a sudden I was this hero and this victim.”

Grande received a lot of backlash when a surveillance video went viral showing her licking and sniffing a donut she had not yet purchased and saying she hated America and Americans.

Despite the controversies, Grande remains popular as her fans have continued to support her talent in music and acting. In the lie detector test for Vanity Fair, Grande addressed her relationship with fans when asked if she loved them.

“I love them always, but I think sometimes they can hurt my feelings,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t like them, but I love them always. Does that make sense?”

Grande passed the test, answering truthfully and adding, “It’s a hard relationship, I think. It’s sort of weirdly parasocial, but it feels very real to me, so sometimes it’s hard, but I love them very much.”

Arianators is what Grande fans call themselves, a name she is not entirely a fan of.

“I don’t like it,” she said. “I’ve accepted it, but would I pick that? Of course not. That’s insane.”