- On Friday, Ariana Grande debuted the music video for her hit single, “Thank U, Next,” directed by Hannah Lux Davis.
- The video pays homage to four iconic female-focused movies: “Mean Girls,” “Legally Blonde, “13 Going on 30,” and “Bring It On.”
- In the video, Grande embodies a main character from each film, played by Rachel McAdams, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner, and Kirsten Dunst, respectively.
- Grande also enlisted a slew of her friends, former “Victorious” co-stars, fellow artists, and the films’ original cast members to play other roles.
- Here are all the parallels and references you may have missed.
The video opens with a parody of a scene from “Mean Girls.”
In the 2004 film, written by Tina Fey, a montage of characters describe their impressions of the high school’s queen bee, Regina George.
Each impression – from, “I hear she does car commercials in Japan,” to, “One time she punched me in the face; it was awesome” – describes the character’s vast influence on her peers.
Grande’s version of this scene, which she released as a trailer on Wednesday, touches upon her real-life characteristics, recent life events, and rumors about the pop star.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 27, 2018
The first person who speaks to the camera is Colleen Ballinger, famous for her online persona Miranda Sings.
“One time on Twitter, I heard Ariana was pregnant, so I got pregnant so we could be pregnant at the same time,” Ballinger says. “Turns out it was just a rumor.”
Ballinger – a comedian, singer, actress, and YouTube personality, best known for her character Miranda Sings – has been friends with Grande for many years. They were close before Grande found pop stardom and have documented their friendship online using Ballinger’s YouTube channels.
Grande has previously lamented the constant speculation that she is pregnant. During her “Carpool Karaoke” segment with James Corden, she said: “People really want me to be pregnant… Every other week, there’s like, a pregnancy thing.”
The next person is Jonathan Bennett.
“Ariana Grande told me my hair looks sexy pushed back,” Bennett says. “She’s not wrong.”
Bennett played Aaron Samuels in “Mean Girls.”
His line in Grande’s video echoes a memorable scene, in which Regina demands Cady tell Aaron that his hair “looks sexy pushed back.”
Stefanie Drummond, another “Mean Girls” alum, also appears.
“Ariana broke off an engagement, so I found a guy to propose to me and I broke off an engagement,” Drummond says – referring, of course, to Grande’s recent split from former fiancé Pete Davidson.
Drummond played Bethany Byrd in “Mean Girls.”
She utters two iconic lines: “One time, she punched me in the face,” Byrd says about Regina George. “It was awesome.”
Later in the film, Byrd talks about Lindsay Lohan’s character in the same manner: “I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip-flops, so I bought army pants and flip-flops.”
Grande’s friend and fellow pop star Troye Sivan is next to appear.
“I heard she’s a lesbian now and dating some chick called Aubrey. It’s f—ing sick,” Sivan says.
The line pokes fun at Apple Music misreporting a lyric in “Thank U, Next,” making it seem like Grande is dating a girl named Aubrey. (The actual lyric is, “Her name is Ari.”)
🖤 @applemusic thank you for fixing the lyrics 🖤 https://t.co/6xnI4LAVE7 sorry aubrey
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) November 5, 2018
Lastly, “Ariana Grande impersonator” Gabi DeMartino pokes fun at herself.
“Ariana says, ‘Honest to God knock me out,’ so I decided to punch myself in the face,” DeMartino says. “It was awesome.”
i say “honest to god knock me out” 300 times a day
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) June 7, 2018
Fans will recognize DeMartino as a popular YouTuber who’s often criticized for “copying” Grande. In July, DeMartino posted a vlog titled, “i lived like ariana grande for a day parody,” during which she attempts to imitate Grande’s laugh.
Grande saw the clip on Twitter and replied, “yea this ain’t it.” The tweet sent fans into a frenzy – including DeMartino herself, who wrote that Grande’s reply “definitely hurt.”
Ariana Grande just saw one of the videos from THAT YouTuber who looks identical to her. Gabi Demartino has been accused of trying to look and act like Ariana Grande for years. pic.twitter.com/rbK4dXj0F8
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 22, 2018
Grande later cleared everything up in a separate tweet: “i was just being funny i knew they’d laugh at that my bad babe. it’s all love here, u know that. ayo but next time can u wear more neutral tones and not do the cat laugh. jk.”
After the intro, the video opens with Grande’s version of the Burn Book.
In “Mean Girls,” the Plastics cut out photos of other girls from the school yearbook and glue them into the Burn Book, writing mean comments.
Grande’s version is a scrapbook about her ex-boyfriends.
Next to a photo of herself and her ex-boyfriend Big Sean, Grande wrote: “so cute,” “so sweet,” and, “could still get it.”
She only wrote positive comments.
There’s a page that features Ricky Alvarez, Grande’s former backup dancer who she dated in 2014 and 2015.
Next to Alvarez’s photo, Grande wrote, “great dancer,” “good times man,” and “friends forever.”
Naturally, there’s a page about her recent ex-fiancé.
Grande can be seen gluing a photo of herself and Davidson that she first posted on Instagram back in June. For some reason, his is the only face that’s intentionally concealed.
Davidson’s comments include, “I love u always,” “sry I dipped,” and “HUUUUUGE.”
Grande is then seen strutting down a hallway with three friends and Bennett in tow.
Grande assumes the role of queen bee Regina George, while her two best friends Alexa Luria and Courtney Chipolone were cast as Karen Smith and Gretchen Wieners.
The girls’ outfits are strikingly similar.
Karen was originally portrayed by Amanda Seyfried, Gretchen by Lacey Chabert, and Regina by Rachel McAdams.
Elizabeth Gillies is almost a dead-ringer for Cady Heron.
Gillies and Grande became friends on Broadway together when both were cast in “13: The Musical.”
Gillies and Grande reunited on the Nickelodeon show “Victorious,” as Jade West and Cat Valentine, respectively.
Grande put her own spin on Regina’s memorable outfit.
While Regina’s shirt says “a little bit dramatic,” Grande’s says, “a little bit needy.”
This is probably a reference to a song on her upcoming album, titled “Needy,” which she has already teased on Instagram.
She even replicated Regina’s necklace.
Regina’s has an “R” necklace, while Grande obviously has an “A.”
The behind-the-scenes footage reveals that Grande also replicated Regina’s bedroom decor.
The word “princess” is spelled out above Regina’s bed in gold letters. Grande recreated this effect for the music video, but used her own name.
Chipolone, Gillies, Grande, and Luria perform onstage in Santa costumes.
They perform a choreographed dance.
It’s the same set-up as the winter talent show scene.
The Plastics perform at the talent show every year.
Kris Jenner makes a cameo.
The Kardashian matriarch dons a pink sweatsuit for the appearance.
She takes on the role of Regina’s “cool mom.”
The role was memorably filled by Amy Poehler.
Grande is then seen in a more casual look, brushing her teeth next to Matt Bennett.
Bennett is another “Victorious” alum. He played the role of Robbie Shapiro, who eventually became the love interest of Grande’s character Cat. The two actors have remained good friends ever since.
The scene echoes a sweet moment in “Bring It On.”
The protagonist Torrance Shipman, played by Kirsten Dunst, develops a sweet relationship with her friend’s twin brother Cliff Pantone, played by Jesse Bradford.
Grande receives a mixtape.
The cassette tape is inscribed, “To Ari, from Ari.”
Torrance receives a mixtape from Cliff.
It’s a sweet gesture from the usually cynical character.
Grande dances on a bed with black and red pom poms.
If you look closely on the wall, you can see a collage with the word “Woman” pasted on top – which is reportedly the name of another song on Grande’s upcoming album.
Torrance also has a bedroom dance party.
Both girls have posters of figure skaters on the wall.
The next scene shows Grande in a cheer squad.
One of the cheerleaders is Daniella Monet, who portrayed Trina Vega on “Victorious.”
The uniforms nearly match those of Rancho Carne High School’s cheer squad in “Bring It On.”
Torrance is the squad’s captain.
There’s a second squad dressed in green.
Two of Grande’s close friends can be seen among the ranks: Victoria Monét, who co-writes many of Grande’s songs, and Taylor Parks (aka Tayla Parx), a fellow artist who co-wrote “Thank U, Next.”
The East Compton Clovers are the rival squad in “Bring It On.”
The Clovers squad captain, Isis, is played by Gabrielle Union.
Monét and Grande mime a rivalry.
The two squad captains in “Bring It On” have a rivalry — but also a mutual respect.
In the final competition, they each give each other tips.
In the next scene, Grande is shown walking away from a wedding ceremony.
She debuts a shorter haircut and is carrying a dollhouse.
It’s a parallel of the pivotal scene in “13 Going on 30.”
Jennifer Garner plays Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl who suddenly flashes forward to her 30-year-old life.
The wedding party includes Grande’s friends again.
Luria, Chipolone, and Monét all appear to be bridesmaids.
The setup is nearly identical to the wedding in the movie.
Jenna’s childhood best friend Matty Flamhaff, played by Mark Ruffalo, is getting married to someone else.
Grande takes a moment to herself outside a large home.
Jenna does the same.
Even the camera angle is nearly identical.
The tiny rooms in the dollhouse include a miniature Grande taking a bubble bath.
The miniature figure has Grande’s face from a recent Instagram, complete with a Snapchat filter, pasted on top.
Jenna’s dollhouse features the same thing.
Matty made the dollhouse for Jenna by hand.
Grande transitions into the next scene with a flurry of pink sparkles.
This echoes the “magic wishing dust” that helps transport Jenna.
The dust that Matty sprinkles on top of the dollhouse is responsible for Jenna’s transformation.
Grande then appears in a pink outfit with her dog, Toulouse.
Grande adopted Toulouse as a puppy in 2013. In her recent tour diary, she called the dog her “shadow” and her “best friend.”
She is recreating Elle Woods arriving to Harvard Law School in “Legally Blonde.”
Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, has a beloved dog named Bruiser.
Grande is also seen sunbathing with her dog while wearing a fluffy outfit.
Grande is reading a book titled, “Immigration and Refugee Law and Policy.”
Elle does the same thing with Bruiser.
Elle has fewer law books at this point in the movie, though.
In a brief intermission, Grande chats about boys with a “Legally Blonde” alumna.
Jennifer Coolidge reprises her role as Paulette Bonafonté, a nail technician and Elle’s confidant.
Paulette and Elle did the same.
Coolidge wore nearly the same exact outfit in both scenes.
Even Paulette’s love interest makes an appearance — but with one key detail changed.
The UPS guy who frequents the nail salon is Paulette’s crush and eventual husband.
In Grande’s version, the UPS guy has “BDE” emblazoned on his shirt – which is almost certainly a reference to Davidson. In June, The Cut published an article about “Bick Dick Energy” and used Davidson as its exemplary owner.
Grande demonstrates her own version of the “bend and snap.”
Hers has less “snap” and more sass.
The move was made famous by Elle.
According to Elle, the move has a high success rate when trying to get a guy’s attention.
Grande’s scene on the elliptical has multiple Easter eggs.
She dons an orange tank top and exercises in front of an orange laptop, designed to look like an old Macbook with a heart instead of an apple.
Elle works out in front of a book, but she does use her orange laptop in class.
Watch the full video for “Thank U, Next” here.
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