Cynthia Erivo Leads SNL Uk’s Sapphic Nigerian Wicked Spoof

WHO:

Deadline - Cynthia Erivo hosted an episode of *Saturday Night Live UK* and appeared in a parody of *Wicked*.

Variety - Cynthia Erivo played Glinda in the “Nigerian Wicked” sketch.

Variety - Ayoade Bamgboye played Elphaba.

Deadline - The parody addressed fans who ship Elphaba and Glinda as a couple.

WHAT:

Deadline - The sketch, titled “Nigerian Wicked,” reworked the *Wicked* franchise as a sapphic parody.

Variety - The sketch was a lo-fi, melodramatic version of the Oscar-nominated musical.

Variety - Erivo wore a blonde wig and a pink velour tracksuit.

Variety - The sketch’s headline quote was: “She Wants a BBL That Defies Gravity.”

Deadline - The article says the *Wicked* movies did not give LGBTQ fans the sapphic moment they wanted for Elphaba and Glinda.

WHERE:

Deadline - The parody appeared on *Saturday Night Live UK*.

Variety - The sketch appeared on *SNL U.K.*

WHY:

Deadline - The sketch responded to LGBTQ fans’ desire for a sapphic Elphaba–Glinda moment.

HOW:

Variety - The sketch cast Erivo as Glinda and Bamgboye as Elphaba, portraying the characters as enemies-turned-friends.

(UPDATED October 25, 2026 02:21 UTC)

Cynthia Erivo hosted *Saturday Night Live UK* and starred in a sketch that recast *Wicked* as a sapphic parody. Titled “Nigerian Wicked,” the lo-fi, melodramatic take featured Erivo as Glinda and Ayoade Bamgboye as Elphaba. The characters began as enemies and became friends, while the sketch played with fans’ hopes of seeing them as a couple. Erivo appeared in a blonde wig and pink velour tracksuit, a look far removed from Glinda’s familiar style. The sketch’s headline line was, “She Wants a BBL That Defies Gravity.” Its joke drew on LGBTQ fans’ desire for a romantic moment between Elphaba and Glinda that the *Wicked* movies did not provide. The result turned the Oscar-nominated musical into a playful, exaggerated version of the story, centered on the relationship fans had imagined.