Ariana Grande’s Comments About Undergoing “Memory Erasure Treatment” Have Caused All Kinds Of Confusion, And I Don’t Know If To Laugh Or Cry
Rounding out the “Wicked” press tour with a bang.
I can’t quite believe I’m writing this, but there is currently some confusion online as to whether Ariana Grande may have had her memories erased.
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In case you’ve missed the discourse, a video of Ariana chatting with Variety on the red carpet at the Oscars on Sunday is garnering a lot of attention due to her comments about “memory erasure treatment.” Without any added context, the clip circulating shows Ari saying to the reporter, “They did the Brighter Days memory erasure treatment to me, so I’m having trouble remembering the details.” She adds that her memories are “foggy” and that she might have to “go back to the clinic” to “see if they can restore” them.
With the internet being the bizarre place that it is, the clip has been widely shared without any additional context, and it’s left some social media users totally convinced that Ariana may have just accidentally exposed some kind of wild celebrity secret. “Did Ariana Grande just admit that she’s going to a clinic — some Hollywood, celebrity clinic — that erases her memories?” one seemingly perplexed TikTok user hypothesized in a video with nearly 2 million views. “I mean, that seems, like, concerning… Honestly, I just hope she’s ok,” they added.
Variety / Via tiktok.com
Other people on X took the conspiracy theories even further, speculating that the alleged “memory erasure” treatments are being carried out on celebrities to conceal dark Hollywood secrets… but, honestly, the less said about that nonsense, the better.
Unfortunately, some groups on the internet seem to be buying into all the speculation, probably envisioning something out of the Men In Black movies. However, I’m pleased to say that others have shown a little more critical thinking. So, without further ado, here’s what Ari was actually talking about.
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In the full clip of Ariana on the red carpet, the Variety reporter asks her to reveal details about the deluxe edition of her 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine. But being the media-trained jokester she is, Ari decides to dodge the question by giving a tongue-in-cheek answer about “the Brighter Days memory erasure treatment” — which is the premise of one of her music videos and, most crucially, not a real thing.
If the name wasn’t enough of a giveaway, Ari’s album — which she recorded after her 2023 divorce from Dalton Gomez — took inspiration from the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, in which a couple, played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, decide to have each other erased from their memories after their relationship turns sour. Paying direct homage to the film in the emotional music video for her single “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love),” Ari visits the “Brighter Days” clinic to erase her memories of a past lover. (Again, just emphasizing that this is fictional and not a real thing).
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