Cynthia Erivo on Wicked memes: 'It was about what I looked like'
Synopsis
Cynthia Erivo isn't laughing off the Wicked memes — she's naming what drove them. In a candid Variety interview, she argues that jokes casting her as Ariana Grande's bodyguard were rooted in racial and physical stereotyping. It's a rare moment of a major star refusing to let viral mockery pass without accountability.
Key Takeaways
Cynthia Erivo addressed viral memes from the Wicked: For Good press tour in an interview with Variety .
She and Ariana Grande still text almost every day , she confirmed.
Erivo argued the 'bodyguard' memes were driven by racial bias and stereotypes about Black women's physiques.
Wicked: For Good was shut out by the Academy across all categories.
Erivo has since begun rehearsals for Dracula on the West End .
Speculation about a third Wicked film is already circulating, given Elphaba's survival in the story.
Cynthia Erivo has broken her silence on the wave of memes and social media commentary that surrounded her friendship with co-star Ariana Grande during the Wicked: For Good press tour, saying the mockery reflected deeper biases about how Black women are perceived. The actress, speaking to Variety, addressed both the viral jokes and the racial undertones she believes fuelled them.
What Erivo Said About the Friendship
Erivo pushed back against the suggestion that her closeness with Grande was performative or exaggerated. She told Variety: 'I think that people didn't really believe that we were actually friends. But that's also because people don't know me very well. If I'm a friend, then I'm a friend. If I'm not, then I'm not.' She confirmed the two still text almost every day, underscoring that the bond extends well beyond the promotional circuit.
The Racial Dimension of the Memes
While much of the online commentary initially framed the incident as light-hearted, Erivo argued the humour carried a sharper edge. She pointed specifically to jokes about her physique, her shaved head, and the assumption that she must be playing a protective or controlling role relative to Grande. 'I think that we haven't really come to terms with the insidious nature of how we view Black women,' she said. 'It was my physique; it was my shape; it was the fact that I was bald, it was about what I looked like.' She added: 'I would hazard a guess that it would not have been the same had it been the other way around.' The memes and TikTok videos widely cast Erivo as Grande's unofficial bodyguard — a framing Erivo says was shaped by racial and physical stereotyping.
The Gruelling Awards Season
Wicked: For Good was ultimately shut out by the Academy across all categories, according to Variety. Erivo reflected on the toll of a lengthy Oscars campaign, noting that the post-Covid shift to a mid-March ceremony has stretched the window considerably. 'If it was a shorter stint of time, there is less potential for things to turn sour, and also there's more energy to keep it going,' she said. The extended campaign, she suggested, leaves performers more exposed to the kind of sustained social media scrutiny that amplified the meme cycle around her.
Life After Wicked
As awards season wound down, Erivo moved straight into rehearsals for Dracula on the West End — a return to the stage she described as a grounding experience. 'I guess it's like a reemerging again, putting my feet back on the ground again,' she said. 'Because Wicked was its own storm in a teacup. It took over everything and, beautifully, changed my life.' Given that her character Elphaba survives the events of the film, speculation about a potential third instalment in the franchise has already begun circulating.
Point of View
But her analysis — that it was animated by assumptions about Black women's bodies and roles — is worth sitting with. Hollywood's awards circuit has a long history of subjecting Black women to a specific kind of public scrutiny that gets laundered as humour. The fact that she had to spell this out, knowing she would be dismissed for doing so, is itself part of the pattern she is describing.
NationPress
13 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Cynthia Erivo become the subject of memes during the Wicked press tour?
Erivo became the target of memes and TikTok videos portraying her as Ariana Grande's bodyguard during the Wicked: For Good press tour. The jokes were largely based on her physique and appearance, which Erivo says reflected racial stereotyping rather than her actual behaviour.
What did Cynthia Erivo say about her friendship with Ariana Grande?
Erivo confirmed in a Variety interview that she and Grande are genuinely close friends who still text almost every day. She said public disbelief about their friendship stemmed from people not knowing her well.
How did Cynthia Erivo connect the memes to race?
Erivo argued the jokes were rooted in assumptions about Black women's bodies — specifically her physique, her shaved head, and her build relative to Grande. She said she believed the same memes would not have emerged had the physical dynamic been reversed.
Was Wicked: For Good nominated at the Oscars?
According to Variety, Wicked: For Good was snubbed by the Academy across the board. Erivo also commented on the exhausting length of the post-Covid awards campaign window, which now often extends to mid-March.
What is Cynthia Erivo doing after Wicked?
Erivo has moved into rehearsals for Dracula on the West End. She described the return to stage as a way of reemerging and finding her footing after the all-consuming experience of the Wicked franchise.
