Cynthia Erivo is bisexual and Lena Waithe identifies as a lesbian. (Getty)
Following the release of Wicked last week, Cynthia Erivo’s name has been everywhere – with many people wanting to know more about her personal life, particularly her famous partner Lena Waithe.
Erivo plays Elphaba alongside Ariana Grande’s Glinda, and the movie has already surpassed all expectations for its opening weekend.
But with Cynthia Erivo landing in the spotlight, so too is her partner Lena Waithe – but she’s no stranger to fame.
Waithe is known for being an actress, producer, and screenwriter, having produced the likes of Dear White People, Step Sisters, Queen & Slim, and more.
She has also appeared in sitcom Master of None, This is Us, Dear White People, Westworld, and Big Mouth.
In 2017, Waithe became the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Oustanding Writing for a Comedy Series for an episode of Master of None titled ‘Thanksgiving’, which was loosely based on her personal experience of coming out to her mother.
Queen & Slim also won a BET Award for Best Movie, so Erivo and Waithe are clearly a power couple.
She has also voiced a lesbian character in Pixar’s Onward, the first LGBTQ+ character to appear in a Pixar film.
How did Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe meet?
The pair first met at the Met Gala in 2018, with Erivo posting a photo of the two on Instagram shortly afterwards and captioning it with: “I finally found my sis. 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 told Variety in 2020 that while she had already been a fan of Erivo, it was after they met that the two began “vibing”.
Despite meeting six years ago, the couple were just friends for a long while. They have never formally announced their relationship but in 2022, Erivo posted a photo of Waithe on Instagram to celebrate the latter’s birthday, which all but confirmed it.
Has Lena Waithe dated women before?
Waithe was previously married to Alana Mayo, who works as a content executive at Orion Pictures, before getting together with Erivo.
They got married in 2019 in a secret ceremony after three years of dating but separated just two months after the wedding.
In a joint statement, Waithe and Mayo told People: “After careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways. We have nothing but support for one another and ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”
After a period of separation, Mayo filed for divorce in November 2020 and it was finalised in 2021.
There are rumours that Erivo and Waithe had a relationship prior to Waithe’s divorce being finalised, but this is pure speculation and there is no evidence to suggest that they were anything other than friends until 2022.
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