Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked. (Universal Pictures/Canva)
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked. (Universal Pictures/Canva)
Wicked protagonists Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are at the centre of a case of online misinformation claiming that they are in a “semi-binary” relationship.
The duo, who were recently confronted by a “serial intruder” at the premiere of Wicked: For Good in Singapore, have continued to remain close during the promotional tour of the second film.
Their intimate friendship, which tends to include a lot of touching, has led to online speculation that the pair are dating, with some even labelling them “creepy” online.
Grande recently revealed why she and Eviro like to “touch each other” so much, explaining that she likes to “channel support” and “energy” through her hands.
Posts circulating online claim that Eviro finally gave a name to her relationship with Grande, claiming they are in a “non-demi-curious semi-binary relationship”.
The term demigender is an umbrella term for nonbinary gender identities that have a partial connection to a certain gender, while semi-binary is a subcategory for genders that partially relate to a binary gender but also a non-binary gender, such as demigirl.
The fake post, which initially gained traction on Facebook from The Lamented page, goes on to claim that Eviro said: “It means we are not actually a couple but we are curious about what that could mean and everything.”
But if readers were to looked closely, they would note that the source of the claim, The Lamented, is a Facebook page dedicated to satirical content.
“The Lamented: where truth goes to die and sarcasm reigns supreme. Serving up satire, nonsense, and gloriously unreliable stories,” its bio reads.
The post was intended to be a joke. The page has also claimed that the pair are blaming Ozempic for “erasing plus-sized women from society”, likely playing on the fact many have accused the pair of looking “unhealthy”.
Grande is currently in a relationship with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Erivo identifies as queer and bisexual, and first openly spoke about her sexuality in an August 2022 issue of British Vogue. She is dating Lena Waithe who identifies as a lesbian.
Last year, non-binary singer Sam Smith was at the centre of similarly false claims they are “semibisexual”.
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