Cynthia Erivo had a great response when an interviewer repeatedly called her out

Earlier this month, Ariana Grande quietly defended her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo from an onslaught of nasty memes.

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After Cynthia protected Ariana from an aggressive fan on a red carpet, several internet users recreated the moment in now-viral TikToks, many of which masculinized and villainized Cynthia for simply stepping in to protect her friend.

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Instagram user @thefilmdiva was one of the many people who called out the memes, stating in a video Ariana has since liked: “I honestly don’t find it funny with all these different memes and videos villainizing and making fun of Cynthia Erivo… I don’t like her at all. I feel like there are a lot of underlying undertones of racism, misogyny… Why are they always men? Why do you make her very masculine?”

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With this in mind, fans were left even more dismayed after seeing a recent clip of Cynthia looking uncomfortable when an interviewer repeatedly called her “tough” on a red carpet.

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“When did you know you were tough? You’re tough,” the FabTV interviewer asked, to which Cynthia responded, “Am I?”

“I think so,” he said. Cynthia then responded, “I mean, I think I’m strong.”

“Hard and strong?” the interviewer asked, to which Cynthia responded, “I think I’m strong, I think I’m vulnerable, I think I’m a myriad of different things.”

The interviewer then seemingly alluded to the aforementioned red carpet incident with Ariana, telling Cynthia, “A protector too? You’re tough, you’re tough. You’re a tough person.”

Cynthia responded, “Well, I think I’m strong and I think I can be protective too. You know what I mean? I think we can be both. I think it’s okay for us to be strong and protected and protective at the same time.”

Meanwhile, Cynthia’s publicist, Meredith O’Sullivan, could be seen visibly reacting to the interviewer’s comments in the background. You can see the clip here.

The clip has since gained traction online, with several people speculating that the interviewer was trying to “get a reaction” from Cynthia. “It’s crazy because she seems like such a soft, feminine woman to me. But as a black woman, I know what they mean by tough,” said one person on Reddit. “While I’m so glad she defended Ari from that creep, I’m tired of people changing her vibe. Cynthia generally seems like a kind, soft-spoken person,” someone else wrote, as more people called out the “unwarranted hate” she’s been receiving.

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“She is much more prepared than that question deserved,” wrote one user.

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