Jana Kramer and her podcast cohosts Kathryn Woodard and Kristen Brust are weighing in on one of this year’s most highly debated topics — whether or not Wicked: For Good was appropriate for their kids to watch.
During the Sunday, December 7, episode of her “Whine Down” podcast, Kramer, 42, sat down with her two close friends Woodard and Brust talked about the Wicked: For Good implied sex scene between Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo).
“It’s so tricky,” Woodard explained, noting that she watched the movie with her younger daughter Ramsey who didn’t seem like she cared or “felt uncomfortable” during the scene. “I can understand where people are coming from.”
Woodard said that people seemed upset “more about the insinuation of all of it.”
Wicked: For Good has officially arrived — and fans and critics have a lot to say about the musical sequel. Director Jon M. Chu’s For Good picks up five years after the events of the 2024 blockbuster Wicked, with Glinda Upland (Ariana Grande) and Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Erivo) on very different paths. While Glinda relishes […]
“I think if they’re younger, it’s gonna go over their head anyway,” she said. “And then they end up at the end, laying in bed like they just had sex. … It didn’t bother me. But also, if you’re taking a five year old … I don’t necessarily want to see them all … sensual.”
Kramer — who has yet to see the movie with her kids — agreed with Woodard, adding that in PG’s defense “it’s often considered suitable for children around 8 and older.” (Kramer shares daughter Jolie, 9, and son Jace, 6, with ex-husband Mike Caussin and son Roman, 2, with husband Allan Russell.)
“I would have more of an issue if Frozen Elsa was taking her thing off, absolutely not, put it back on right 1765254304,” Kramer joked.
While Brust shared that it was “tastefully well done,” she also said she “loved the overall message” of “not judging what people look like.”
“That is what’s more important to me in that scene than anything else,” Brust said. “Elphaba is green and she’s unaccepted and she’s misunderstood and [Fiyero] sees her for who she is and he loves her for that. That message to me is so powerful and important that it made that feel less about the sexual tension and more like he loves her.”
Wicked: For Good closes the book on Elphaba and Glinda’s tale of friendship. The movie musical, which hit theaters on Friday, November 21, picks up where the first part left off with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) exiled from Oz after learning that the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is a fraud. Wicked is based on the Broadway show […]
While the three ladies agreed that the movie didn’t seem to be that inappropriate, they did see how it could be construed that way to some parents.
“At the end of the day, it’s our job, it’s not everyone else’s job, to tell us what’s acceptable for us and for our children,” Woodard explained.
Online discourse surrounding whether the film was inappropriate for kids was sparked after influencer Sara Burnett walked out of a screening with her children.
“Now hear me out — we LOVE theatre & musicals. We love appreciating the talents and God given gifts that people have. Seeing the acting, the arts and all the creativity,” Burnett wrote via Instagram in November. “But gosh, I am not sitting in a movie that is casting legit spells over me and my family and allowing my children (5yr old included) to watch scenes where men are sexually taking off women’s clothing and music that is talking about them laying in bed together.”
Several users seemed to agree with Burnett’s take in the comment section, with influencer Ashley Jeans writing, “I’m the mom that wouldn’t have gone in the first place 😂I’m proud of you 👏🏽.” Content creator Katie Farrell added, “Yep the name says it all for me 🙂↔️.”
Wicked: For Good brings the movie musical’s final chapter to the big screen, but who does Fiyero ride off into the sunset with: Glinda or Elphaba? Warning: Spoilers below for Wicked: For Good. Wicked part 1, which hit theaters in 2024, introduced a love triangle (of sorts) after Prince Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) showed up at […]
After Burnett’s viral review, film expert Betsy Bozdech weighed in on the debate in a conversation with Us Weekly.
“We rated this one appropriate for 11 and up,” Bozdech, Common Sense Media’s Editorial Director, shared with Us. “So it’s definitely firmly in between territory for us. According to our ratings, I wouldn’t say it’s a great choice for 5- or 6-year-olds either. Again, though, every parent knows their kid and their family best and can make those decisions. It’s just, you need to be ready then to manage the impact of those decisions if they don’t work out.”