A Wicked (in a good way) Couple

While we’re swooning over “Wicked,” let us not forget that its star is an out queer woman who is dating another out queer woman who are both absurdly accomplished. I don’t know why it took me two years and a damn People magazine article to clue into the fact that Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe are a couple. Like, how did I not know that? At first I thought it was maybe because they’d been lowkey and not gone out in public much. But then I did a quick image search and, uh, they’ve been everywhere together. EVERYWHERE.

How everywhere? Well this year alone they’ve been to…

…the US Open in September

and the Olympics in August (with many famous friends, peep Anna Wintour in the front there, yo),

and the Tonys in June (with another Elphaba),

and The Los Angeles LGBT Center Gala in May (with a woman whose name should be kept out of your mouth, especially if you are Chris Rock),

and the Met Gala in May,

and the “Shirley” premiere in May (with "Shirley" herself),

And the Oscars Vanity Fair party in March (I call this Florence & the Queer Machine).

The thing is, they’ve been officially dating since 2022. Yet somehow I was oblivious to this fact despite them stepping out time and time and time again that very same year.

Like at the SAG Awards dancing February 2022 (with dancing queen Jessica Chastain).

Or the Oscars in March 2022.

Or the GLAAD Awards in April 2022.

Or the Grammys also in April 2022.

Or the BET Awards in June 2022.

Or the Tonys also in June 2022 (with photobomb by Bernadette Peters).

Or the Glamour Awards in November 2022 (though I'm still sad about Poussey).

Yeah, I don’t know how I missed it either. And attending more than one fancy dress event in one month together over multiple months? I hang my head in shame. Though, I will say the most relatable thing about their relationship so far is their (relative) hibernation in 2023. I could find only three images of them out and about. Sophomore year of a relationship nesting, I see you.

From 2023:

Dancing with Dwayne Wade at his Fall of Fame party in August.

Snuggling at the “Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along” opening in October.

And hanging with Rustin himself in December.

Anyway, I hope my now exhaustive chronicling (bordering on stalkerish, sorry about that but these were all public events) of this most excellent lesbian power couple suffices as a mea culpa. And, lest we forget, there should be much more to come with “Wicked Part 2” hitting theaters next year. Go forth, and be gloriously gay and tremendously talented together on every red carpet you can find, Cynthia and Lena. Or should we call them Cythna?… Lethia? …Waitiro? … Evithe? Yeah, those are all terrible. Just congrats to the happy couple.

p.s. This one is from when, as they’ve said themselves, they first met at the Met Gala in 2018. Rainbow capes plus rainbow eyebrow rhinestones? It was written in the Celesbian Stars, I tell ya.