Tony-winning actress Cynthia Erivo has been keeping busy lately, as she and Ariana Grande have been promoting the pair of Wicked films for basically two years straight. Plenty of viral moments have come as a result, including a recent meme of Erivo that's been circulating over the last few weeks. And she finally explained the full context behind the GIF that's been seen non-stop on social media outlets like Twitter.
While it remains to be seen if Wicked: For Good becomes a musical that wins Best Picture, the promotional tour for Jon M. Chu's book-to-screen adaptation is the gift that keeps giving. Erivo recently got turned into a meme thanks to a viral fan interaction, and while appearing on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, she offered some much-needed context. In the actress/singer's words:
So a year ago in London when we did the premiere I was wearing this beautiful hat with this dress. I put it down in the theater when we were watching the film, and I left it behind and then couldn't find it. We went, searched for it. We just couldn't find it anywhere. And we just let it be. We've lost it.
Talk about a bummer. Cyntha Erivo brought some wild fashion when promoting the pair of Wicked movies, including the hat that she wore to the London premiere last year. That garment, unfortunately, went missing... at least for a while.
Because a year later, Erivo was once again promoting Wicked in Europe when an unbelievable fan interaction happened and then promptly got turned into a meme. The Oscar-nominated actress spoke to Jimmy Fallon about what prompted her now-viral reaction, saying:
Cut to a year later. We're in Paris and I'm going to this event. And I walk outside and see there's some really lovely fans. And I think I'm going to sign everyone's books or whatever they need. And I get to the end of the line and one girl goes 'That hat you wore in London.' I said 'Yes?' She goes 'Well I have it.'
That surprise is what made Cynthia Erivo have such a huge reaction, which was recorded and promptly went viral online. The GIF is now being used regularly as a reaction to news on Twitter, thanks to just how animated she was at the time. You can see the meme below:
the concept of a second iconic cynthia erivo reaction gif hitting the timeline pic.twitter.com/hkyqPdyd9vNovember 10, 2025
Erivo has had plenty of viral moments while promoting the Wicked movies, including the infamous holding space interview. The above GIF is just the latest example, but I guess any press is good press.
So how did the story end? The Harriet actress shared that she did get that lost hat back... at a price. As she shared on The Tonight Show:
So I said to her 'Can I have it back?' She said 'I don't have it with me right now. It's at my house.' I said 'Well, when can we get it back?' She said 'Can I get tickets to the premiere?' Listen. Fine. Have them. And she brought it back and I was reunited with my hat.
This fan had some chutzpah to ask Erivo for a quid pro quo, but it seems like the actress actually respected that hustle. She helped get the fan into the premiere in London, and was finally able to procure her long-lost accessory. Talk about a journey.
Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21st as part of the 2025 movie schedule. We'll just have to wait and see if any more meme-worthy moments happen from Cynthia Erivo before her time as Elphaba comes to an end.
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