Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Cynthia Erivo Sparks Debate After Slamming 'Offensive' Fan-Edited 'Wicked' Poster

Cyntha Erivo
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

The Wicked star spoke out on her Instagram stories to slam a fan-edited poster made to more closely resemble the Broadway poster as the "wildest, most offensive thing I have seen."

Countless first looks and promos have been circulating online after anticipation has been mounting for the long-awaited November release of the Wicked musical film adaption.

Among the slew of memes shared on social media was a fan-made manipulated image featuring the film star Cynthia Erivo depicted in a manner that the actor found highly "offensive," and it's polarizing the internet.


Earlier this month, the studio released a movie poster of Wicked's leading ladies recreating the famous Broadway illustrated poster of Galinda whispering into Elphaba's ear.

Unlike the original poster, the film version presented the characters so the actors are recognizable.

Here are the juxtaposed images shared by Pop Base.

However, a riff on the iconic image for the movie poster posted to the Instagram account @wickedfansmexico showed pop star Ariana Grande as Galinda and Erivo as Elphaba.

For those who might not be cognizant of the film's stars, you wouldn't be able to identify the actor concealed beneath the brim of Elphaba's iconic cone-shaped hat.


Erivo, who won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the Color Purple revival on Broadway, was furious about the adjusted image and she took to her Instagram story to speak out against the manipulated art, writing:

“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen, equal to that awful Ai [sic] of us fighting, equal to people posing the question ‘Is your pu**y green.’"

She continued:

"None of this is funny. None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us."
"The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a real life human being, who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer…because, without words we communicate with our eyes."

Erivo added that the Wicked movie's poster was "an homage, not an imitation" and that "to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me."

She concluded by saying it was "deeply hurtful."


@cynthiaerivo/Instagram


Her comments sparked much debate online.

Many social media users found the edited image came from a place of levity rather than being "offensive."








Users also referred to her "Is your p***y green?" meme, explaining that Galinda's question to Elphaba originated from graffiti scrawled on the Broadway show's poster, according to Know Your Meme.

Some compassionate users tried to see it from her perspective.





Based on characters from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked musical is an origin story loosely based on the novel of the same name written by Gregory Maguire in 1995.

The Wicked musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman.

The Jon M. Chu-helmed Wicked movie, which is part of a two-part film adaptation, also stars Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Keala Settle, and Peter Dinklage in supporting roles.

Wicked is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2024, followed by Wicked Part Two to be released on November 21, 2025.

More from Entertainment

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less