It’s no secret Ariana Grande dropped the highly anticipated music video for her latest banger “thank u, next” last Friday. However, did you catch all the hidden gems and Easter eggs all throughout the video? Keep reading to find out what you missed and verify what you did see!
The video features four movies, Mean Girls, Bring it On, 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde, with Ariana as the main character from each. Additionally, almost 20 celebrities made cameos at various points in the video! Notably, Stefanie Drummond, the original “army pants and flip flops girl”, and Jonathan Bennett, the original Aaron Samuels, from Mean Girls made appearances, as well as Jennifer Coolidge, the original “Paulette” in Legally Blonde.
In the Mean Girls section of the video, Ariana has a burn book of her own. But instead of writing nasty things, she writes kind messages to her exes she calls out in the song, thanking them for the experiences and memories they made together.
Big Sean’s page in the burn book says “so cute, so sweet, (could still get it)” and Ricky Alvarez’s page in the burn book says “great dancer,” “good times man” and “friends forever.” On Pete Davidson’s page, Ariana writes “sry I dipped,” and “i love you always”, as well as a cheeky reference…
Ariana explained that Mac Miller did not have a page in the book because he was “next to [her] bed”. The video also shows her looking to the side then up to the ceiling during the lines about Miller.
Switching up Regina George’s iconic fashion, Ariana’s tank top reads “A Little Bit Needy”, a nod to one of her new songs.
Ariana’s friend Alexa Luria plays airhead Karen Smith and pays respect to Smith’s ESP(N) powers by using her boobs to tell the weather.
Frankie Grande, Ariana’s brother, is featured on a poster in Torrence’s bedroom from Bring it On and TUN (obviously an acronym for “thank u, next”) takes the place of the original RCH. The Clover’s uniforms are slightly different as well. The “C” in clovers was replaced by a clover symbol, making the actual word on the uniforms “lovers”.
Also, note that Ariana’s longtime friend Colleen Ballinger makes two cameos, as a gossiping student in Mean Girls and a TUN cheerleader in Bring it On. And she was pregnant in both (because she is pregnant in real life).
The bathroom scene which features cute toothpaste flirtation has some speculating that it was a nod to Jai Brooks, one of Ariana’s exes that she did not mention by name in the song. This is because Ariana tweeted a screencap of the same exact scene and tagged Brooks in it in 2013, leading many to believe she was referencing him. But who knows!
The dollhouse in the 13 Going on 30 section looks almost exactly like the original and close-up shots of the inside show Ariana in the bathtub, just like Jenna Rink.
Ariana pulls up in a Porshe to start the Legally Blonde section and the car’s license plate reads “7 Rings”, a reference to the rings that she and six of her best friends play and the title of one of her upcoming singles.
As she relaxes outside, Ariana can be seen reading an “Immigration and Refugee Law Policy” book. We stan a politically aware and responsible queen!
During the hair salon scene, Jennifer Coolidge is reunited with the UPS guy, who, instead of wearing a UPS uniform, wears a BDE uniform. Big…uh…Delivery…Energy…
Kris Jenner played Ariana’s overbearing, cool mom from Mean Girls during the Jingle Bell Rock talent show scene. However, did you catch Ariana’s actual mom in the audience behind Jenner?
Did I miss any Easter eggs or cool moments from the video? Comment them below to share!
You can watch the full music video here: