Cynthia Erivo has always known how to make a spellbinding entrance. Whether it’s on Broadway, at the Oscars, or somewhere over the rainbow, the Wicked star has a gift for turning every moment into something cinematic.
But this week, her most heartwarming reunion wasn’t with a co-star or a director; it was with a hat. No, not that hat.
A year ago, at the London premiere of Wicked on November 18, Erivo arrived in a sculptural black Schiaparelli gown topped with a show-stopping black velvet hat that gave “Defying Gravity” a whole new level of couture. Unfortunately, the hat didn’t make it home with her. Somewhere between the red carpet and the after-party, the dramatic piece vanished.
Flash forward nearly a year later, and fate, or perhaps a touch of Oz magic, intervened. While greeting fans in Paris over the weekend, Erivo came face-to-face with the person who had rescued her long-lost headwear.
On November 8, a TikTok user named Clara shared a now-viral video of her unexpected reunion with the actress. In the clip, she nervously approaches Erivo to explain that she found the hat months earlier.
Erivo’s reaction gave pure Ga-lin-da:
“For real? You have the hat? Oh my God!”
Clara then pulled out her phone to show pictures of the dramatic accessory resting on a table in one photo and perched on her own head in another. In a follow-up TikTok, she explained that she and a friend, both based in Paris, attended the London premiere last year.
About 30 minutes after the film ended, they went back inside the theater to meet friends and Clara spotted the abandoned hat. Thinking it was too beautiful to toss, she scooped it up before the staff could discard it. Only later did she realize she was holding a piece of fashion history that met Hollywood.
In her viral video, Clara laughed as she recalled the moment of recognition:
“My friend was like, ‘You know that belongs to Cynthia Erivo, right?’ I couldn’t believe it.”
She even tried to return the hat during Paris Fashion Week but, as she put it, she had “no chance” of getting close enough to Erivo to hand it over. So, she kept it safe, waiting for the right moment.
When that moment finally came, Erivo’s response was exactly as gracious (and glam) as fans would expect from the woman who plays Elphaba with elegance and edge.
After Clara showed the photos, she said:
“I have it in my house! I don’t have it on me.”
Erivo gasped, laughed, and looked genuinely delighted as she examined the images of her long-lost fashion companion, the same sculptural black velvet hat that had become an unofficial emblem of her Wicked press-tour looks.
“May I have it back, please? I thought I had lost it forever…” she asked sweetly, as her team quickly took Clara’s contact information.
You can watch the now-viral, meme-worthy moment unfold here:
@claracrss @Cynthia Erivo so glad you finally find out , ily girl 💚 #cynthiaerivo #wicked #elphaba
The next day, Clara confirmed in another TikTok that she had carefully packaged the hat and arranged for it to be returned.
“I kept the hat for a year, and I just wanted to tell her myself. She’s getting the hat back today. I put it in this lovely bag, and I’m giving it back.”
For the full enchanted recap, you can watch Clara and her friend’s hilarious storytime about the hat below:
@claracrss Réponse à @Ayda.Melody this the storytime for the hat guys nothing fancy or crazy about it :)
And yes, the reunion finally happened.
In an Instagram post, Erivo shared a joyful photo of herself with the returned hat, writing:
“We deserve each other. 😉 Thank you very much, Clara!!”
Looks like no one mourns the hat, and our Elphaba is officially ready to waltz into her own Oz Dust Ball, couture and all.
Watch Cynthia’s heartwarming reunion with her long-lost hat on Instagram:
And naturally, the internet melted faster than a witch in a water fight with Dorothy:
But Erivo’s week of wins didn’t end there. She also picked up three Grammy nominations, including one for Best Arrangement, Instrumental, or A Cappella for “Be Okay,” a standout track from her soulful sophomore album I Forgive You.
You can see another viral Cynthia Erivo reaction below:
@much Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s reaction to finding out their nominated for a #GRAMMY 😭 Via: @Wicked: For Good
And just six days from now, she’ll release her highly anticipated book Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much, a collection of essays on vulnerability, creativity, and self-acceptance.
Erivo describes Simply More as a love letter to anyone who’s ever been told they take up too much space, a subject she knows well as a Black British performer who has spent her career defying both gravity and genre. In it, she reflects on her journey from stage to screen, from The Color Purple to Harriet to Wicked, blending hard-won wisdom with her trademark warmth.
So, will her famously recovered hat make another cameo during the Wicked: For Good promotional circuit? I mean, considering its viral comeback and Erivo’s flair for drama, it seems likely.
Because, as Elphaba might say, “It’s never just about the hat you lose; it’s about the magic (and the thoughtful fans) you find along the way.”
Wicked: Part Two lands in theaters on November 21.
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