During her interview with the Wicked stars, queer media’s star of the hour, Tracy E. Gilchrist, a journalist from Out, made a comment that was so very online, so very therapy-speak and so very 2024, it has since shaken the world: “This week, people are taking the lyrics to Defying Gravity and really holding space with that and feeling power in that,” Gilchrist said – with the sort of quiet solemnity befitting such a groundbreaking statement.
Erivo instantly welled up — seemingly out of habit more than anything else. Grande looked confused and a little concerned. “Uh, I didn’t know that that was happening,” Erivo whispered back with wide-eyed reverence.
“I’ve seen it, yeah,” Gilchrist whispered back with a knowing smile.
“That’s… really powerful,” Erivo said, beginning to smile, her hand, complete with its signature green manicure, held against her heart. “That’s… what I wanted.”
Erivo then turned to Grande who, to her credit, looked just as confused as the rest of us. The pair then stared at each other and, after some witchy telepathy, Grande reached out and grasped onto one single manicured finger.
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Erivo turned back to Gilchrist to say once more in disbelief, “I didn’t know that was happening.”
“I’ve seen it on a couple posts, I don’t know how widespread — but, you know, I am in queer media,” replied the journalist.
It was a perfectly bizarre ending to a perfectly bizarre moment. It was, dare I say it, artful. And it was, of course, the stuff good memes are made of.
The social media icon known as bald ann dowd (again, if you know, you know) put it best when she retweeted the video: “no video has ever affected me this much in my entire life. i saw it for the first time 12 hours ago and it has completely changed the way i talk.”
