The Wicked Cast's Real Life Partners

The cast of the "Wicked" movie is a dream come true for longtime fans of the beloved Broadway show. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's incredible vocal talents are given center stage as they take on the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively. Then, we have Tony nominee Ethan Slater playing the role of Boq and "Bridgerton" star Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. The stacked cast also features veteran actors like Jeff Goldblum in the iconic role of The Wizard and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. There's also Marissa Bode, who made history by becoming the first wheelchair user to portray Nessarose. If the cast list wasn't impressive enough, Grande and Erivo made a creative decision that took the movie to a whole other level. 

Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2024, director Jon M. Chu shared that the two leads told him that they wanted to sing live during filming instead of using their pre-recorded vocals. While Chu was initially hesitant about the idea, Grande and Erivo reassured him that their vocal talents wouldn't be compromised on set, so he gave them the green light. This decision arguably made all the difference since it brought out the unbridled emotions of the two actors. In fact, in a behind-the-scenes clip, the "7 Rings" hitmaker and the "Harriet" star were seen tearing up and having a heart-to-heart presumably after they belted out a song. While the "Wicked" cast evidently shared a lot of love on set, their personal lives are all similarly filled with love, too.

Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's controversial relationship timeline began in 2023. In July, People confirmed that the "Wicked" co-stars had started seeing each other after getting out of their respective marriages. Their rumored romance brought the full wrath of the Internet as social media users were certain that Grande had been a homewrecker in Slater's marriage to Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a young son. However, the happy couple evidently refused to let the narrative affect their relationship. In fact, it appeared to have brought them closer as an Us Weekly source claimed that the Grammy winner and the Broadway star had already moved in together by October. While Grande and Slater understandably wanted to keep things strictly under wraps, they were still spotted on several low-key dates throughout the year. 

The "yes, and?" hitmaker also showed up to support her beau at the preview, opening, and closing nights of his performance in Broadway's "Spamalot." And yet, in her September 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, alongside co-star Cynthia Erivo, Grande admitted that it was "disappointing" to see everyone jumping on the hate train about their relationship without knowing the truth. She also couldn't help but gush about Slater, proclaiming, "No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about." The "Positions" songstress continued, "There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bull**** tabloid can rewrite in real life." Slater had similarly positive things to say about their controversial romance in his own 2024 GQ interview just a month later.

Before Lena Waithe presented Cynthia Erivo with an award at the 2020 Palm Springs Film Festival, she told Variety that they had first met at the Met Gala back in 2018. The "Master of None" star also enthused that she was blown away by the Tony winner's work and poise. It's safe to say that Erivo was an equally big fan of Waithe's work since she shared an Instagram post gushing about her shortly after that initial meeting. A few weeks after their interaction at the film festival in January, Waithe and her wife of two months, Alana Mayo, shared a statement with E! News to announce that they were separating. At the time, several reports suggested Waithe had cheated on Mayo with Erivo, and they were spotted packing on the PDA at the Golden Globes. 

The rumors seemed much more plausible in June 2022 after Page Six captured a photo of them holding hands. The alleged couple was also spotted at the 2024 Olympics with Ariana Grande and her brother, Frankie Grande. Ultimately, though, it doesn't seem like we will ever know the truth about Erivo and the "Chi" creator's relationship status, as the Grammy winner firmly told Vanity Fair in 2024 that she wanted to keep her romantic life private, explaining, "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."

Jonathan Bailey was reportedly dating James Ellis in 2019. Although both of them remained tight-lipped about their rumored romance, they still shared a kiss at the Olivier Awards in 2019 after the British actor snagged a trophy for his performance in "Company." Then, during the "Bridgerton" star's 2023 interview with The Standard, he confirmed that he was in a relationship with a "lovely man" while stressing that, "It's not secret, but it's private." So, it's unclear if Bailey was still referring to Ellis. He also noted, "Having a private life is, for me, completely critical. I don't know if I would be able to be as confident to speak out on other things if I felt that my whole life was up for grabs." In contrast, Bailey's co-star, Marissa Bode, is far more open about her own relationship with Lauren Brooks. 

In October 2023, the actor took to Instagram to share that they had celebrated Halloween by dressing up as Chappell Roan and her love interest in the "Casual" music video. Needless to say, the couple celebrated Valentine's Day 2024 in a similarly sweet manner with heartfelt Instagram tributes for each other. In Bode's post, she wrote that she was glad she finally had someone who made her understand what all the fuss around Valentine's Day was about and labeled Brooks "the prettiest, smartest, most understanding gal I know." Her paramour appeared equally smitten with Bode when she attended the "Wicked" premiere in Los Angeles to support her. The adorable couple celebrated their 1-year anniversary in September 2024.

While Michelle Yeoh was doing promotion for Ferrari in Shanghai, in 2004, she met the company's then-CEO, Jean Todt, and they fell in love pretty quickly. During her subsequent appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2024, the Oscar winner revealed that Todt had popped the question after just a month of courtship, and she happily said yes. However, their busy lives didn't leave much room for a ceremony, so they kept putting off the big day for a whopping 19 years. Given all this, it's unsurprising that the "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star gushed about her partner: "He's one of the most patient [people] in the world." 

Yeoh continued, "And I think that's what we all deserve — to have someone who loves us for who we are and what we do." Throughout the sweet couple's super private relationship, they have publicly supported each other on several different occasions. The former Ferrari CEO was even in attendance when Yeoh won her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 2023. The happy couple finally tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Geneva on July 27, 2023. They then had another equally low key celebration at a cozy restaurant in Yeoh's hometown of Ipoh, Malaysia, the following December. Her Oscar trophy apparently graced the event. The "Crazy Rich Asians" star proudly took to Instagram in January 2024 to confirm that she had become a grandmother after her stepson, Nicolas, welcomed his first child with his wife, Darina.

Jeff Goldblum's wife, Emilie Livingstone, is a rhythmic gymnast who represented Canada at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and snagged the 17th spot. During the "Jurassic Park" star's 2021 appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," he detailed how their paths first crossed at a gym about a decade prior, and they got hitched in 2014. Goldblum also proudly shared that Livingstone had acted as Emma Stone's dancing double for the iconic "La La Land" scene where she floated around the Griffith Observatory. If that wasn't incredible enough, she was also Rihanna's double for her own dance sequence in "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets," and the aerialist for The Weekend's performance of "Earned It" at the 2016 Oscars. The "Fly" star noted another interesting fact about his wife during a 2019 chat with "The Hoda Show," revealing that she had spent most of her adolescent years in Russia as a part of her Olympics training. 

As a result, Livingstone had only watched the Russian dub of "Jurassic Park" and didn't even recognize the iconic actor during their first meeting. Fortunately, the couple's vastly different backgrounds didn't affect their strong bond. In fact,in a 2021 Instagram post, the rhythmic gymnast professed that they regularly went to see a couple's therapist to set themselves up for long-term success and ensure they always remained on the same page. The happy couple went on to welcome their eldest son, Charlie, in 2015 and their second, River, in 2017.  Suffice it to say that they have one of the most successful age-gap relationships in Hollywood since Livingstone is 31 years younger than her husband.