SZA slams Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande relationship 'memes'

SZA has called out the 'out of hand' mistreatment that Wicked actress Cynthia Eviro has endured on social media in recent weeks, after she rushed to rescue her co-star Ariana Grande from a crazed fan.

The horrific moment occurred during the premiere for the magical musical in Singapore last month, after a man hurdled over the barricade and landed on the red carpet before b-lining straight for Grande.

He then wrapped his arms tightly around the 'Glinda the Good' star, 32, and jumped up and down.

Thankfully, Grande's cast-mate Erivo, 38 - who plays lead character Elphaba, the 'Wicked Witch' - was quick to respond, pushing the man away and comforting her friend as security removed him.

Cynthia Erivo rushed to her friend's defence during the Wicked: For Good premiere in Singapore (Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images)

Why has this incident caused such a stir?

Sadly for Eviro, her courageous act of heroism in what was visibly a frightening moment for all present has been tainted by a number of online trolls, who've turned the pair's relationship into something of a meme.

In cartoons, drawings and AI-generated videos, the British actress was suddenly characterised as the aggressive masculine bodyguard of a 'frail' Grande - the latter of which has also proven to be a problematic theme of the film's press tour - in what has become a plague of harmful stereotypes against Black women.

A global debate on racialised commentary has since been sparked on the basis that Black women in highly-visible on-screen roles are explicitly scrutinised by the public - a pattern we've bore witness to over and over again.

Erivo's heroism has since been turned into a series of social media memes (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

What has SZA now said?

And as we say, one individual who wasted no time in rushing to Eviro's defence is singer SZA, who called out the villainisation of Black women.

Real name Solána Imani Rowe, the chart-topper took to Instagram on Friday (28 Nov), where she reacted to a reel about the unwarranted backlash that the Broadway star has been subjected to online.

After a fellow social media user with the handle @thefilmdiva highlighted 'underlying tones of racism' in memes being made about Eviro and Grande's dynamic, SZA commented in agreement: "Ir not bugging and no one is too woke."

The 'Saturn' hit-maker continued: "It’s CLASSIC Misogynoir! NOTHING ELSE !!! can’t believe it’s openly a thing in 2025.

"Everyone’s gonna have cognitive dissonance 2 years later like 'remember when everyone attacked Cynthia for being black bald and nurturing?… that was crazy' ..it could jus stop now lol."

SZA has since spoken out in Erivo's defence (Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Image)

What else has been said about Erivo and Grande's relationship?

This conversation regarding racial stereotypes is also happening on top of speculation over the nature of the relationship between Grande and Erivo - the latter of whom identifies as both queer and bisexual.

Whilst it's no secret that the pair have forged a tight-knit bond throughout their time filming together, and are often seen holding hands or touching one another affectionately, Grande previously addressed lines being blurred by fans who 'ship' the idea of a romance between their movie roles.

Wicked audiences branded the duo 'Gelphie' - a mix of 'Glinda' and 'Elphaba' - after becoming a little too invested in the film's 'enemies to friends' storyline, with some going on to project this onto the actresses that play the roles.

Much has been speculated about the pair's relationship (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)

"People think we’re secretly married," Grande told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year.

As a reminder, the former child actress is currently dating their other co-star, Ethan Slater, who plays Boq in the musical, whilst Eviro is in a relationship with writer and comedian Lena Waithe.

Asked about fan-fiction about their supposed 'secret romance', Grande previously told press: "I wish I could unsee some things. I mean, wow, I had a feeling, but I didn’t know it would be on this scale or this graphic."