Entertainment

Ariana Grande's New "Thank U, Next" Footage Will Make You Love The Hit Even More

by Kavitha George

Exactly two months since its premier, it's safe to say the world is still obsessed with the iconic post-breakup song, "thank u, next." That is, it's still at Billboard's number one spot — and has been for seven weeks. In case you haven't gotten enough of the song, pop superstar Ariana Grande released new "thank u, next" footage on Thursday, and it's basically everything you wanted to know about the behind-the-scenes of the music video.

The new footage includes a deleted scene with Grande and Legally Blonde actress Jennifer Coolidge. Grande, acting as a young lawyer modeled after Elle Woods, argues on behalf of Coolidge for custody of a bulldog residing with Coolidge's ex-partner in a mobile home. "You got this," Grande tells a reluctant Coolidge, before forcing her to confront her ex.

"I think I'm dead," Coolidge replies.

Grande invokes some tenuous legalese with the ex ("due to habeas corpus," she explains) in order to get the dog back, mirroring the original scene with Woods and Coolidge's character Paulette Bonafonté. "Thank you, next," a newly confident Coolidge tells her ex before hopping into a convertible with Grande and the bulldog.

Of course, there are also tons of bloopers in the four minute extras video. Among other things, you'll see Grande shuffling with the bulldog (named Nina), and repeatedly slamming Troye Sivan into some lockers during the Mean Girls scene. For the Grande fans that go way back, there are also clips of her and her fellow Victorious alum, Matt Bennett, goofing around and dancing while recreating the bathroom scene from Bring It On.

Kris Jenner, who plays Grande's mother in the Mean Girls Christmas dance scene, also made it into the blooper reel with some detailed ad-libbing. "I told [Grande]…if she ever had sex without a condom, she’d get chlamydia... and die," Jenner whispers to a clearly uncomfortable audience member next to her.

Grande's "thank u, next," music video dropped on YouTube on Nov. 30. With 829,000 simultaneous viewers, it is the largest live viewership a YouTube Premiere video has ever had. The video recreated several classic teen movies from the 2000's, including Mean Girls, Bring It On, Legally Blonde, and 13 Going on 30.

Grande's lyrics throughout are transparent, referencing past relationships with Pete Davidson, Mac Miller, Ricky Alvarez, and Big Sean, also known as Sean Anderson. Photographs from her relationships with all except Miller are included in one of the first scenes of the video in which Grande, channeling Mean Girls' Regina George flips through a scrapbook on a four poster bed.

In the weeks since its release, "thank u, next" has become an anthem of moving on after a breakup, sitting at the top of the charts as Grande's first No. 1 single on Billboard's Hot 100. According to Billboard, she is the first woman to debut at No. 1 since Adele, with her 2015 hit "Hello." On Wednesday, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival announced Grande would be among its 2019 headliners, along with Childish Gambino and Tame Impala.