Everyone agrees: Glinda might be a little bit in the closet

In an interview with Gay Times below the infinite and increasingly meaningless Evil press tour (I compulsively ate every damn second of it), Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande was asked about “Gelphie”, the always-popular Evil femmeslash ship that places Elphaba and Glinda as distinctly more than friends. “Glinda might be a little in the closet,” said Grande, who plays Glinda in the film. And she’s not the only Glinda portraitist who thinks so. When E News submitted “the little bit in the closet” snippet on Instagram Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role on Broadway, chimed in on the comments, saying, “I thought that way back when…”

It’s official: Two out of two Glindas agree that Glinda might be a little bit in the closet. (For some reason, Cheno’s use of ellipses in the commentary really gets me. Gen Xers and their love of dot dot dot drama!)

When asked if Gelphie could ever become explicitly canon, Grande replied, “You never know, give it a little more time. It’s just a true love and I think it transcends sexuality.”

The Gay Times interview is full of ambiguous language about Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship and sexuality, but I’m honestly right about that ambiguity! Their relationship is hard to describe, and being vague about it doesn’t amount to “queerbaiting”. It can be argued that they are hold space for the complexity of the relationship. But in all seriousness, I do believes that the Elphaba/Glinda dynamic defies conventional definition. It’s not a stretch to say that they canonically have a relationship beyond friendship, and if Chenoweth and Grande both feel a petit queerness in the character they play, then of course there something there!

Erivo added of Elphaba that “she goes wherever the wind goes.” She continues: “I think she loves Glinda, I think she loves love. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrating the deep connection they both have.”

“They have a real relationship,” Erivo also says Gay Times. “It’s true love, and that’s probably why people send it. What they build with each other is an unbreakable bond and love.”

Elphaba comes off as loving Glinda and loving LOVE. Glinda is a little bit in the closet. The Evil press tour continues to be For The Theater Gays. Stay tuned for an upcoming Autostraddle deep into queer history and the origins of Evil!

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ members. If this article meant something to you today – if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, would you consider joining AF and support the people who make this queer media site possible?

Sign up for AF+!