All about Cynthia Erivo & partner Lena Waithe’s relationship

Cynthia Erivo and her partner Lena Waithe only went public with their relationship in 2022 after their close friendship turned into something more.

The Tony winner and Master of None star first met in 2018 and was most recently seen celebrating the release of Erivo’s role in Evil at the premiere in Los Angeles on November 9 and the premiere in London on November 18.

The Evil press tour has generated plenty of scrutiny for Erivo’s co-stars Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater, who went public with their romance in July 2023 after dating on set. The relationship led fans to speculate that Grande was cheating on her ex-husband Dalton Gomez with Slater, who was also married to his ex-wife, Lilly Jay.

But while Grande’s relationship has received its fair share of public attention, Erivo’s relationship with Waithe has also come under scrutiny. Take a look at their relationship (and the rumors surrounding it) below!

When did Erivo & Waithe meet?

Erivo and Waithe met for the very first time at the 2018 Met Gala. At the time, Waithe was engaged to film director Alana Mayo.

“I finally found my sister,” Erivo continued Instagram in May 2018 along with a selfie of them at the Met Gala. “Lena you are absolutely everything. You are perfection. What a meeting of the minds, glad to have you in my life! Sticks like glue!!! SHINE QUEEN SHINE!!”

Waithe later reflected on their first meeting and the friendship they formed in a January 2020 interview Black at the Palm Springs Film Festival, where she presented Erivo with an award.

“The first time I met her was at the Met Gala, where all the cool kids go to meet each other,” Waithe said. “I had seen her inside The color Purple twice I remember watching her on TV when Oprah (Winfrey) was talking about doing it and she was on the screen, I remember (thinking), ‘Who is this little person with a British accent? ‘ We just vibed ever since.”

Later that month, Waithe and Mayo announced their separation just two months later Queen and Slim author revealed that she had secretly married Mayo, after three years of dating, in a private San Francisco ceremony.

“After careful consideration and consideration, we have decided to part ways,” they said in a statement People. “We have nothing but support for each other and ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”

When did Erivo & Waithe start dating?

In May 2022, Erivo apparently made his relationship with Waithe public by posting a tribute on Instagram. “Today is where we celebrate a woman whose heart is bigger than the body that houses it,” Erivo wrote in the caption. “Happy birthday @lenawaithe I ……. You know the rest! ”

A few months later, in June, their romance was confirmed after Page six photographers spotted them holding hands at the Alvin Ailey Spirit Gala.

However, the couple attended several events together as far back as January 2020, including Variety’s 2020 Creative Impact Awards, the 2021 BET Awards, and the 2022 Oscars.

When did Erivo come out?

While Waithe had previously been in an open and public queer relationship, Erivo came out to fans as queer in a British Vogue interview in July 2022. “My closest friends have known this about me for a long time,” she told the outlet. “I feel like it I knew it when I was about 15 but didn’t know what to call it. I didn’t have the vocabulary for it. I knew I was attracted to both men and women. I was attracted to people. I wanted to be in love with this person or that person, but didn’t know how to put it into words.”

Soon enough she found the right words and found herself. “To me, taking a risk means claiming the freedom of being one’s full self,” she said.

Waithe was accused of cheating on his ex-wife with Erivo

While Erivo and Waithe first went public with their relationship in May 2022, some gossip sites speculated without evidence that these two dated as far back as January 2020, while Waithe was still married to Mayo.

In the weeks leading up to Waithe and Mayo’s breakup, Waithe and Erivo were spotted together at the Palm Spring Film Festival and at a Golden Globes after party in January 2020. Later that month, after Waithe and Mayo announced their split, a source accused Waithe of cheating on the celebrity tabloid site Bossip.

“Even after they got married, Lena still bought designer gifts — Chanel, Gucci — for other women,” the source claimed. Erivo and Waithe have not addressed these rumors.

Are Erivo and Waithe still together?

Despite all the speculation surrounding their relationship, Erivo and Waithe seem to be hitting it off. With Evil premiere on November 9, Waithe joined as support. Plus, she was wearing green, a cute nod to Erivo’s character Elphaba.

On November 18, they attended the after-party for the London premiere together, Just Jared reports.

On Instagram, Waithe has also shown his support throughout Evil press tour, reposts rave reviews Evilcelebrities’ reactions to the musical, and Erivo’s post from 22 Nov where she reflected on the experience.

Before you go, click here to see more co-star couples we’ll always be in awe of.