Cynthia Erivo explains the story behind her new meme

It all makes sense now.
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
A woman sits on a talk show sofa opposite a man, recreating an image of herself that the man is holding in which she holds up a hand.
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By now you've probably seen the meme of Cynthia Erivo standing in the street, holding up a hand and looking shocked — and now Erivo herself has explained the story behind it.

Appearing on The Tonight Show in the clip above, the Wicked: For Good star explains to Jimmy Fallon that it all came about after she lost one of her favorite hats at Wicked premiere in London last year. In 2025, a fan appeared in an autograph line outside an event in Paris, and told Erivo that she had the hat safe at home.

"So I said to her, 'Can I have it back?' She said 'I don't have it with me right now, it's in my house,'" Erivo explains. "I said, 'Well, when can we get it back?' She said, 'Can I get tickets to the premiere?' 'Listen, fine. Have them.' And she brought it back and I was reunited."

A happy ending for everyone.

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.


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