The wait was worth it! Ariana Grande released her “Thank U, Next” music video, which was inspired by popular chick flicks, and the celebrity cameos just kept coming.
Highlights included Kris Jenner saying, “Thank you, next, bitch,” while taking on Amy Poehler‘s role from Mean Girls and the Victorious alum showing her pals how to do the “bend and snap” from Legally Blonde.
Mean Girls, 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde and Bring It On influenced the production. Grande, 25, shared tidbits from the set during filming, revealing that Jonathan Bennett would reprise his role as Mean Girls’ Aaron Samuels and Jennifer Coolidge would return to her roots as Legally Blonde’s Paulette Bonafonté.
Bennett shared an Instagram selfie of himself and the “God Is a Woman” singer on Saturday, November 24, with the caption: “Aaron [loves] Regina. Thank U, Next.” Meanwhile, Grande called Coolidge her “new best friend” in a tweet on November 20.
The pop star was accompanied by even more stars in a Mean Girls-esque teaser that came out on Tuesday, November 27. Bennett, Troye Sivan, YouTuber Colleen Ballinger and impersonator Gabi DeMartino appeared in the clip. Stefanie Drummond, who also starred in the 2004 film, joked, “Ariana broke off an engagement, so I found a guy to propose to me, and I broke off an engagement.”
Grande announced the video’s release date with a teaser one day prior. In the behind-the-scenes montage, the pop star wore a wedding dress alongside her friends, Alexa Luria, Courtney Chipolone and Victoria Monet, who acted as her bridesmaids.
The “Breathin’” songstress recorded “Thank U, Next” following her split from fiancé Pete Davidson. The track references several of her exes, including the Saturday Night Live star, the late Mac Miller and Big Sean. The lyrics read: “Thought I’d end up with Sean / But he wasn’t a match / Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh / Even almost got married / And for Pete, I’m so thankful / Wish I could say ‘thank you’ to Malcolm / ‘Cause he was an angel.”
