Cynthia Erivo took matters into her own hands this weekend when Saturday Night Live UK delivered the sapphic Wicked content that the films refused to give audiences.
The Tony-winning performer hosted SNL UK's latest episode, where she starred in a sketch called "Nigerian Wicked" that reimagined the Elphaba-Glinda dynamic as a romantic relationship. The parody played directly into fan demand from the LGBTQ community, which had hoped the Jon M. Chu-directed Wicked films would lean into the romantic subtext between the two witches. The movie adaptations, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, prioritized the musical's canonical story while sidestepping the queer reading that fans have championed for decades.
SNL UK stepped into that gap with a comedic but pointed response. By setting the sketch in a "Nigerian Wicked" context, the show played with cultural specificity while delivering exactly what fans wanted: Erivo and a counterpart playing Elphaba and Glinda as a romantic couple. The sketch acknowledged what exists in fan culture and online spaces where "Elphaba-Glinda shippers" have built communities around the pair's relationship.
This moment reflects a broader conversation happening in entertainment right now. The Wicked fandom, particularly younger audiences and LGBTQ viewers, sees the Elphaba-Glinda dynamic as inherently queer. The relationship between the headstrong green witch and the popular blonde has fueled fan fiction, art, and TikTok content for years. When the Wicked movies arrived without explicitly romantic moments between them, disappointment rippled through these communities. The films treated the story as a coming-of-age bromance rather than a potential love story.
SNL UK's sketch format allowed for the kind of playful subversion that mainstream film tentpoles often avoid. Sketch comedy thrives on audience knowledge and cultural conversations. By making "Nigerian Wicked" a parody, the show validated what fans already believe while getting laughs from the directness of the sapphic romance. Erivo, who won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for her film role, showed willingness to engage with fan culture in a way that contrasts with the official studio product.
The appearance also marks Erivo's continued involvement with Wicked beyond the films themselves. She remains the definitive live-action Elphaba, and Saturday Night Live gave her space to explore that character in a completely different register. This kind of cross-platform promotion and fan service has become standard for major franchises. Stars appear on sketch shows to promote films and engage with audiences in unscripted or semi-scripted formats that feel more intimate than traditional press.
SNL UK's willingness to address LGBTQ fan desires head-on reflects how sketch comedy platforms remain nimble spaces for cultural commentary. While tentpole films navigate corporate stakeholders and wide audience demographics, SNL can pivot toward niche communities and emerging cultural conversations. The "Nigerian Wicked" sketch accomplished something the Wicked films did not: it gave Elphaba-Glinda shippers their moment, even if only for five minutes of comedy.