The Real-Life Partners Of Wicked's Leading Ladies

Though a lot of movies focus on romantic entanglements, "Wicked" is all about the love (or lack thereof) between two friends-turned-enemies who see life very differently. "The love story is really between the two girls. It's about their bond," Kristin Chenoweth, who appeared in the original stage production as Glinda, told Us Weekly, referring to her former character and Elphaba. Behind the scenes, though, there are plenty of sweet love stories going on, as the ladies of the cast are totally loved-up.

Not every cast member's love life has been totally smooth sailing, though. Elphaba actor, Cynthia Erivo, and Glinda star, Ariana Grande, have both sent the rumor mill into overdrive over the controversial starts of their relationships. Then there's Madame Morrible star Michelle Yeoh, whose romance is no "One Short Day" fling, as she tied the knot after a 19 (yes, 19!) year engagement. To find out more about their real-life partners, we took a deep dive into the relationships of the leading ladies of "Wicked."

Cynthia Erivo met her actor and producer love, Lena Waithe, at the 2018 Met Gala. Waithe told Variety two years later, "I was so excited to meet her at the Met, and we did that whole thing, like, 'Oh my gosh' and exchanged information. We have just been vibing ever since." But eyebrows were raised because the "Boomerang" and "Them" actor was married to movie executive Alana Mayo at the time. Mayo filed for divorce in January 2020 — the same month Bossip reported Erivo and Waithe were dating. Though they've mainly kept their romance out of the spotlight, the actor/singer went public with their romance in 2022 when she celebrated her partner's birthday on Instagram. They've also made several public appearances together. Waithe proudly supported Erivo at the "Wicked" premiere in an Elphaba-inspired green jacket, which complemented Erivo's style transformation. 

But the star has made a point of keeping their romance under wraps in interviews. "I'm very tight-lipped with my relationships, because I don't think that my relationship is for anyone else but for me," Erivo told Vanity Fair. "I spend so much of my life sharing everything — whether it's my work or my soul or my life in speeches. I think I give enough of myself that I'm allowed to keep something for me. And who knows, maybe I'll change my mind at some point. But, I think it's okay," she added.

Cynthia Erivo isn't the only cast member to hit the headlines over an eyebrow-raising relationship timeline, as Ariana Grande's romance with her "Wicked" co-star Ethan Slater has also been all over the gossip columns. The Glinda star and Boq Woodsman actor met in late 2022 when filming began, while both were married to other people. Grande's separation from her now ex-husband, Dalton Gomez, went public in July 2023, the same month Us Weekly confirmed she and Slater were an item. "Ariana and Dalton split in January, and Ethan is separated from his wife," a source claimed. "Ariana and Ethan have only recently begun seeing each other, but they have a lot of fun together and are enjoying each other's company," they added. Later that month, Slater filed for divorce from his now-former wife, Lilly Jay.

The interesting timing sparked speculation that Grande and Slater's romance, which is full of red flags, may have been the reason their marriages ended. He seemingly denied that to GQ in 2024, though. "There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it's really hard to see people who don't know anything about what's happening commenting on it and speculating, and then getting things wrong about the people you love," he said.

The actors have mainly kept their romance under the radar, but Grande — who got multiple tattoos to commemorate her time filming "Wicked," — gushed about her boyfriend to Entertainment Tonight on the "Wicked" premiere red carpet. "He's always that adorable and he's so amazing in this film. He's such an amazing person," she said. "I'm so happy people are getting to know him. My heart is very happy."

Michelle Yeoh, who plays Madame Morrible, is happily married to her longtime love, French businessman Jean Todt. But it took the two a while to get down the aisle. They tied the knot in 2023, 19 years after they met, and Todt proposed. Yeoh confirmed the exciting news on Instagram and shared photos from their special day. "19 years and YES!! we are married!! [Thank you] to our 'families' who love us for all these years. We love you and here's to many more to come," she wrote. The two originally had a ceremony in Switzerland, but had a second wedding in Malaysia five months later. "We finally said, 'Let's do it!' And we did it," Yeoh said on "Today."

The actor also shared sweet words about her long-time love to People in 2025. "I am so blessed because he's so supportive of what I do. I love my work. This is my passion. He never turns around and says you spend a lot of time away from me, which I have sometimes, but he's very understanding," she said. The happy couple is grandparents to a little girl named Maxine, the daughter of Todt's son from a previous relationship.

Marissa Bode, who plays Elphaba's younger sister Nessarose Thropp on "Wicked," is all loved up with her girlfriend Lauren Brooks. The two went Instagram official on Brooks' account in 2024 with a Chappell Roan-inspired post that included several photos of the two together, including one showing her planting a kiss on Bode's cheek. "We're literally casual by chappell roan, i DID take her to my long beach house after 2 weeks! but we became inseparable instead....... and anything but casual....... close enough," she captioned the images. Bode posted a similar collection of images on her Instagram, writing, "Is it casual now? (It definitely isn't lol )."

In 2025, Brooks opened up on TikTok about what it's really like dating an up-and-coming actor. "I am not a celebrity, very clearly, I'm not even an influencer. I am simply a girlfriend in an identity crisis," she said. "I have so many people assuming my life is perfect and that I am tangentially rich because of who I'm dating. I am a real person. Marissa is a real person. Just because you're in a movie or dating someone who's in a movie does not mean that you immediately rise to the upper echelons of Hollywood," she added. But despite things not being the easiest as Bode's star continued to rise, the two are still very much together and making it work.

Bronwyn James is happily married to Katherine-Alice James. The actor, who plays Glinda's friend ShenShen, tied the knot with her wife in 2023 and shared gorgeous photos from their big day on Instagram. "Love of my life," she captioned the snaps. In 2025, Katherine-Alice, who runs a non-profit, shared a sweet message on Instagram to celebrate two years of marriage, which included other photos from their big day. "Happy 2nd Wedding Anniversary my darling I love you more and more each day, and it's a joy and an honour to be dancing through life with you," she sweetly wrote.

Katherine-Alice proposed to Bronwyn in 2022, with the actor confirming the exciting news on Instagram while showing off her new engagement ring with a green stone (how "Wicked"-coded!). "Surprise of a life time !!! In Switzerland for work, and I dragged @hotchocolateandcwtches with me for a free holiday.....and she repayed me with a proposal," Bronwyn wrote. "Love this girl to bits !!!" Adorable.