Who Is Cynthia Erivo's Partner? What We Know About the 'Wicked' Star's Dating Life

The buzz around Wicked has been nothing short of electric, and the powerhouse team behind it is running on full steam. Between global premieres, countless collaborations and nonstop press, it feels impossible not to know about the film adaptation of the beloved musical. And let’s be honest—it deserves all the hype. With Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo leading as Glinda and Elphaba, alongside a stacked cast that includes Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage and Bowen Yang, it’s already a cultural moment. Naturally, with all the attention on Wicked comes curiosity about its cast—and their off-screen lives. Grande’s personal life has often been front and center (yes, that includes the headlines about her romance with Slater, AKA SpongeBob, following her split from ex-husband Dalton Gomez). But when it comes to Erivo's dating partners? The Broadway star is far more private.

Erivo, who skyrocketed to fame with her Tony- and Grammy-winning performance as Celie in the Broadway production of The Color Purple, tends to keep her personal life under wraps. That said, she’s occasionally shared glimpses into her relationships and recently came out as bisexual, making headlines in her own right.

So, what’s the tea on Cynthia Erivo’s dating life, her partner and her journey with queer identity? Let’s dive in.

Cynthia Erivo has always kept her private life, well, private. As a result, details about her past relationships are few and far between. However, we do know that the Broadway superstar was romantically linked to British actor Dean John-Wilson back in 2013. According to The Guardian, the duo reportedly first crossed paths while working together on the theater production of Sister Act.

The couple made their red-carpet debut in 2016, when Wilson starred as Aladdin in Disney’s West End production, per BBC News. But by 2017, they had quietly gone their separate ways for reasons that remain unclear.

That same year, Erivo began dating Mario Martinez. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed, “He chased me." Martinez wasn’t in the industry, but their paths crossed often. Each time, he'd ask her out—even while she was with her ex, Wilson.

“Then the last time, I was not with my ex anymore—except this time he did not ask,” Erivo recalls. “He just walked up to me and gave me a kiss.” At the time of the interview, Erivo and Martinez had been together for two years.

Cynthia Erivo first spoke publicly about her sexuality in August 2021, where she self-identified as queer in an interview with The Evening Standard. A year later, in an August 2022 interview with British Vogue, she revealed that she identifies as bisexual.

During a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Erivo expanded on her journey to self-acceptance, reflecting on how she navigated questions about her identity from adolescence into adulthood. "I didn’t have the language to even know what was going on," she shared. "It’s come much later to me now, and it’s wonderful to just be me. It’s made space creatively to let go of whatever I was hiding."

Erivo also discussed the energy she spent concealing her queerness over the years, unaware that she wasn’t fully living authentically. “Once you stop hiding something so integral to you, you can put that energy into creating more wonderful things,” she explained.

Lena Waithe is an actress, producer and screenwriter, best known for creating the hit Showtime drama The Chi. She’s also appeared in a range of acclaimed shows, including Master of None, This Is Us and Westworld. Waithe made history in 2017 when she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for her work on the Master of None episode "Thanksgiving."

Waithe previously married Alana Mayo in 2019 after two years of dating. Two months after tying the knot, they announced they had separated in a statement via their reps, per E! News.

With Wicked: For Good dropping in November 2025, it's clear Erivo will be busy running the press circuit alongside Ariana Grande. She's also up for a Golden Globe, with a nomination for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. Additionally, she revealed to Elle UK, there's a new album in the works. "This album is life-story based, but my voice is the focus. Where the instruments would be, it’s my voice. And I wanted to use the body as a whole, so some percussion is me with my nails," she tells Afua Hirsch.

As for Waithe, she'll be hard at work on The Chi, the show she created and executive produces for Paramount+. Variety reported earlier in the year that it had been renewed for a seventh season.

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