A bizarre clip from the wonderfully weird press tour of Wicked has inspired a meme, due to a confusing conversation between Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and a reporter who asked about “holding space.”

The Wicked press tour seems to have been a long, strange journey for Grande and Erivo, as the two have sparked many viral moments, both delivering strange soundbites and tearing up at the slightest provocation.

The massive fanbase of Wicked includes fans of the same-titled, second-highest-grossing Broadway show of all time, and of Gregory Maguire’s Wizard of Oz “alternate history” book that inspired it.

Naturally, there have been many fans keeping a close eye on the press tour, and the stars of Wicked have provided plenty of viral moments to fuel discourse.

What Happens In The ‘Holding Space’ Viral ‘Wicked’ Clip?

The viral clip was posted to X (Twitter) without comment—it quickly became clear none was needed, as the quote tweets did the work.

The clip features journalist Tracey E. Gilchrist, who told Erivo that “people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that.”

(“Defying Gravity” is a popular song from the Wicked stage production and film, about empowerment and defying social norms).

Erivo appears taken aback by this, and puts her hand to her chest, admitting, “I didn’t know that that was happening.” Gilchrist then confirms that she has “seen it” online, and Erivo seems stunned, stating: “That’s really powerful—that’s what I wanted.”

Erivo then turns and looks meaningfully at Grande, who stares back; Grande then reaches over and holds Erivo’s finger, seemingly for support. The two appear to be emotionally overwhelmed, and at this point, Gilchrist seems to question herself, walking back her assessment a little bit.

“I’ve seen it on a couple posts, I don’t know how widespread,” Gilchrist clarifies. “But you know, I am in queer media, that’s my—you know …”

Erivo then replies, “That’s really cool.”

The melodramatic music playing in the background of the clip seemed to be the icing on the cake, adding a layer of surreal ambiance to an already strange scene.

Commentators immediately responded with confusion and amusement; many fixated on Grande clutching Erivo’s finger, and some responded with creative edits.

Many seemed to be under the impression that neither Erivo or Grande really understood what Gilchrist was saying, and others were happy to admit that they had no idea what anyone was saying.

One commentator succinctly summarized what all the fuss was about, writing: “I can’t tell what my favorite part of this video is: the solemnity in announcing people have been ‘holding space’ for the lyrics of a 20 year old song, Cynthia acting like she personally wrote it, Ariana holding onto Cynthia’s index finger, or the reveal of ‘a couple of posts.’”

What Does ‘Holding Space’ Mean?

“Holding space” means witnessing and validating the emotional state of another person, and Gilchrist appears to have applied the term incorrectly, or at least, clumsily.

She seems to be making reference to Wicked fans feeling inspired and empowered by the song, and chose to articulate it in a way many would describe as “therapy speak.”

Either way, this particular combination of words seems to have never been uttered before, and combined with Erivo’s confusing (or confused) response, along with Grande’s reassuring finger grab, inspired many memes.

Many viewers declared that their vocabulary had been irreversibly altered; one commentator wrote: “no video has ever affected me this much in my entire life. I saw it for the first time 12 hours ago and it has completely changed the way I talk.”

Every single sentence from the viral clip seemed to ignite its own meme spin-off; one might even say that commentators were “holding space” with the clip.

The unnerving, almost dreamlike tone of the video prompted many to make comparisons to the work of David Lynch; others compared the moment to a classic Donald Trump meme.

The viral clip was closely examined by social media sleuths, to the point where unexpected easter eggs were discovered, such as the distinctively patterned wall matching a background from Blade Runner.

The wall also made an appearance in Mulholland Drive, solidifying the David Lynch connection; an X user even added Laura Palmer’s theme from Twin Peaks to the clip, just to match the tone.

In the wake of the internet embracing the phrase, Gilchrist spoke out about her experience going viral in an interview with Variety, in which she explained what she meant by “holding space.”

“For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level,” Gilchrist said. “I think you can hold space with lyrics of a song—one you’ve heard hundreds of times—and it can suddenly take on new meaning when you’re a queer person.”

Gilchrist even delved into her now-iconic “queer media,” line, explaining that she “was a little thrown off by [Cynthia’s] response because it was so sincere and real. I was a little flustered.”

Despite being caught up in a meme tornado, Gilchrist sees the funny side:

“I’m glad people are finding joy in it and laughing, and that it’s so viral.”

Wicked is already breaking box office records, boasting the biggest-ever opening weekend for a film based on a Broadway musical, pulling in $164.2 million globally and $114 million domestically.

Hence, the viral “holding space” clip marks the last hurrah of a unique, sometimes controversial press tour.

The Wicked marketing blitz and press tour included many memorable moments, such as Cynthia Erivo taking offense to a fan-edited movie poster, and a batch of Wicked Mattel dolls that were pulled from stores due to a misprint on the box that directed consumers to a porn site.

The press tour has proved so strange and messy that it has inspired several comedy skits on TikTok.

Wicked is the first half of a two-part story, which tells the sympathetic origin of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the press tour has been entertaining fans along with the movie.

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