Cynthia Erivo and partner Lena Waithe first went public with their relationship in 2022 after their close friendship turned into something more.
The Tony winner and the Master of None star first met in 2018 and were most recently seen celebrating the release of Erivo’s role in Wicked at the Los Angeles premiere on Nov. 9 and the London premiere on Nov. 18.
The Wicked press tour has generated plenty of scrutiny for Erivo’s co-stars Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater, who went public with their romance in July 2023 after been on set. The relationship led fans to speculate that Grande cheated on her ex-husband Dalton Gomez with Slater, who was also married to ex-wife, Lilly Jay.
But while Grande’s relationship has received its fair share of public attention, Erivo’s relationship with Waithe has been under some scrutiny too. Take a look at their relationship (and the rumors surrounding it) below!
Erivo and Waithe met for the very first time at the 2018 Met Gala. At the time, Waithe was engaged to Alana Mayo.
“I finally found my sis,” Erivo wrote on Instagram in May 2018 alongside a selfie of them at the Met Gala. “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!!”
Waithe later reflected on their first meeting and the friendship they formed in a January 2020 interview with Variety at the Palm Springs Film Festival where she present Erivo with an award.
“The first time I met her was at the Met Gala, which is where all the cool kids go to meet each other,” Waithe said. “I had seen her in The Color Purple twice, I remember seeing her on TV when Oprah [Winfrey] 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.”
Later that month, Waithe and Mayo announced their separation just two months after the Queen and Slim writer revealed she had secretly married Mayo, after three years of dating, in a private San Francisco ceremony.
“After careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways,” they said in a statement to People. “We have nothing but support for one another and ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”
In May 2022, Erivo seemingly made her relationship with Waithe public by posting a tribute on Instagram. “Today is when we celebrate a woman whose heart is bigger than the body that houses it,” Erivo wrote in the caption. “Happy birthday @lenawaithe I ……. You know the rest! ????????”
A few months later, in June, their romance was confirmed after Page Six photographers spotted them holding hands at the Alvin Ailey Spirit Gala.
However, the pair attended several events together as far back as January 2020, including Variety’s 2020 Creative Impact Awards, the 2021 BET Awards and the 2022 Oscars.
While Erivo and Waithe only went public with their relationship in May 2022, some gossip sites speculated without evidence that these two were dating as far back as January 2020 while Waithe was still married to Mayo.
In the weeks leading up to Waithe and Mayo’s breakup, Waithe and Erivo were seen together at the Palm Spring Film Festival and at a Golden Globes after-party in January 2020. Later that month, after Waithe and Mayo announced their split, a source accused Waithe of cheating to celebrity tabloid site Bossip.
“Even after they married, Lena was still buying designer gifts — Chanel, Gucci — for other women,” the source alleged. Erivo and Waithe have not addressed these rumors.
Despite all the speculation surrounding their relationship, Erivo and Waithe seem to be going strong. At the Wicked premiere on Nov. 9, Waithe attended in support. Plus, she was wearing green, a sweet nod to Erivo’s character Elphaba.
On Nov. 18, they attended the after-party for the London premiere together, Just Jared reports.
Before you go, click here to see more co-star couples we’ll always wonder about.
