The duo first connected at the Met Gala, “Where all the cool kids go to meet each other.”
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo and her performance in such a juggernaut of a musical movie are all we can talk about. But in comparison, the star keeps her private life much quieter, which includes her relationship with her partner Lena Waithe.
That said, the pair are quite the power couple—both have won an Emmy (in fact, Cynthia is well on her way to EGOT status), and both are committed to supporting and championing LGBTQ+ people and stories in Hollywood.
Here’s everything we know about their low-key, adorable romance.
Who is Lena Waithe?
Lena is an actor and producer, most significantly having written the amazing crime movie Queen & Slim, which starred Jodie Turner-Smith and Daniel Kaluuya. She also created US TV series The Chi, which follows the stories of the residents of a tough and dangerous South Chicago neighborhood—Lena is from Chicago herself. She has also appeared in dramas such as Master of None and Westworld, and Lena won an Emmy for her performance in the former. Lena also presents podcast Legacy Talk, where she interviews Black actors and creators about key moments and milestones in their lives.
Attending the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in CaliforniaKevin Mazur/VF22/Getty Images
She has shown her support for Cynthia throughout the release of Wicked, sharing statistics around the film’s achievements on her Instagram Stories, praising Cynthia’s performance as well as the film’s production team and their hard work. Lena also shared Cynthia’s own post about Wicked, describing the experience as “long, and paved with bright, yellow brick”.
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“We have laughed and cried, held hands and walked side by side, our lives intertwined, and because of that, we were irrevocably changed for good,” Cynthia posted. “We gained more than a movie. We gained a love letter to love, friendship, the celebration of the things that make us different, special, and beautiful, and the bravery it takes to change your mind.”
“We have laughed and cried, held hands and walked side by side, our lives intertwined, and because of that, we were irrevocably changed for good,” Cynthia posted. “We gained more than a movie. We gained a love letter to love, friendship, the celebration of the things that make us different, special, and beautiful, and the bravery it takes to change your mind.”
Lena also absolutely understood the assignment at the LA Wicked premiere, which she attended with Cynthia. Posting an Instagram carousel of her amazing green suit, she wrote, “Tonight we defy gravity.”
How did Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe meet?
“The first time I met her was at the Met Gala, which is where all the cool kids go to meet each other,” Lena told Variety back in 2020. “I had seen her in The Color Purple twice, I remember seeing her on TV when Oprah talked about doing it and her being on the screen, I remember [thinking], ‘Who is this tiny person with a British accent?’ We’ve just been vibing ever since.”
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Cynthia posted a similar “vibe” on her Instagram at the time, after meeting Lena at the Met Gala. She wrote: “I finally found my sis. Lena you are absolutely everything. You are perfection. What a meeting of minds, glad to have you in my life! Stuck like glue !!! SHINE QUEEN SHINE!!”
She then made her feelings for Lena pretty clear in a birthday post to her back in 2022. She posted: “Today is when we celebrate a woman whose heart is bigger than the body that houses it. Happy birthday @lenawaithe I ……. You know the rest! 💕💕”. Cynthia and Lena confirmed their relationship the next month, and made their first “official” appearance at Alvin Ailey Spirit Gala in New York City together, holding hands.
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More recently, Cynthia and Lena have hung out together at the US Open Tennis Championships in September with Wicked director Jon M Chu and Ariana Grande, as well as the star-studded Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gala in LA and the Tony Awards, where Cynthia even presented a category with Wicked stage star Idina Menzel. The couple also attended the 2024 Oscars together.
Cynthia has spoken in the past about her queer identity and the important consequences of her coming out.
“My closest friends have known this of me for a long time,” she told Vogue of her queerness. “I feel like I knew it when I was around 15 but didn’t know what to call it. I didn’t have the vocabulary for it. I knew I was attracted to both men and women. I was attracted to people. I’d have a crush on this person or that person but didn’t know how to put it in words.”
At the BET Awards 2021Johnny Nunez/Getty Images
When asked what the impact of her coming out within the public eye and in the entertainment industry, her response was frank. “The consequence is that some young Black queer actress somewhere will know coming in that she’s not alone,” she said. “I could feel myself actively hiding that part of myself and it didn’t feel good. That takes a lot of energy to uphold and there is zero return.”
Above all, Cynthia wanted to join her community. “I felt like I was looking at my community be alive and vibrant from inside a glass box,” she said. “I don’t want to watch from inside that glass box anymore… There’s not enough room in there and there is no ventilation!
“Everything I do is on purpose. I know there are young people who need to see a me speak out so that they can get one step closer to doing the same.”
