'You're very beautiful as YOURSELF.' That's the line at the heart of a DM Ariana Grande sent her longtime impersonator Paige Niemann, which was revealed for the first time in the documentary Turning the Paige. In the message, Grande told her she was flattered by the impersonation but wanted her to know she didn't need the make-up or the effort to resemble someone else, adding that she'd have regretted staying quiet.
Niemann says she received the message in 2019, not long after Grande came across clips of herself impersonating both the singer and her old Nickelodeon character, Cat Valentine, from Victorious. For the 'Break Free' singer, seeing her own semblance mixed with an old character and performed back to her was unsettling.
ARIANA GRANDE’S DM TO PAIGE NIEMANN. A CLASS ACT. MY FIRST LADY. pic.twitter.com/2M6gxsnyI9
— haley MISSES ARIANA ꕤ (@remsplit) July 8, 2026
Ariana Says it's 'Bizarre'
Niemann first went viral in 2019 when clips of her recreating Grande's signature ponytail, winged eyeliner and mannerisms spread rapidly across TikTok. Grande publicly responded that same year, calling it bizarre to see her Cat Valentine voice blended with her then-current pop-star image, while still describing Niemann as a sweetheart. According to the documentary, the DM followed shortly after.
@paigeniemann how’s everyone today? 😋
♬ original sound - Mollie
Niemann furthered her platform by launching an OnlyFans account in 2022, trading on Grande's likeness and offering exclusive content. Fans reacted negatively, feeling she was profiting from adult content using someone else's image instead of just doing impressions. This reportedly intensified Grande's discomfort. Grande later reshared a clip from filmmaker Jordan Firstman joking about ruining someone's life by mocking their work, adding her own caption about how it feels when people do the ponytail and eyeliner and think that counts as properly impersonating her.
Why Paige Is Sharing This Now
Niemann has since undergone something of a reverse transformation, stepping out looking more like herself, and Turning The Paige frames this shift as her reclaiming an identity she says she lost somewhere in the last decade. The six-episode series, now streaming on Apple TV and Prime Video, follows her as she steps back into the spotlight and addresses the online storm that has followed her since she was 15.
@paigeniemann Now on @Prime Video | Turning The Paige 📄🤍 Link in bio
♬ original sound - Paige Niemann
It's worth noting the irony here. A documentary about stepping out from under Ariana Grande's shadow leads with a private message from Ariana Grande, and much of the press coverage since release has centred entirely on that DM rather than anything else in the series. Niemann hasn't given a direct quote about how she personally felt receiving the message back in 2019, though choosing to reveal it now, years later, suggests it stuck with her.
'Too Nice': Fans React to Grande's 'Professional' Call-Out
The reaction has left little doubt about where public sympathy sits. One fan wrote that Ariana was almost too nice, joking they'd have sued in her position. Another said it was kind of Grande to message her at all, given everything Niemann has done since. A third pointed out that this was Grande telling her to stop in the most professional way possible.
ariana should just beat her ass. SHE OPENED AN ONLY FANS ACCOUNT COSPLAYING HER! that's just mental illness and i really hope she gets sued.
— ꕤ (@positionses) July 8, 2026
ariana gave her much more grace than she deserved
— anarchic ꕤ (@anarchees) July 8, 2026
and she spilled. idgaf nobody can deny that paige has attempted to copy ariana’s persona. ariana of ALL people has the right to humble her.
— ໊ (@buffys) July 8, 2026
Even Grande's own recent comments echo the tension. Asked during a lie detector segment for Wicked press whether she'd ever confronted an impersonator, she initially said no before admitting, smiling, that she'd wanted to, in a fun way.
Grande has never directly mentioned Niemann, and the DM remains the closest thing to a direct response she's given. What's clear is that she chose her words carefully back in 2019, wrapping a pointed message in a way that still sounded encouraging.
