Cynthia Erivo is gearing up for the upcoming release of the second installment of the Wicked saga. While doing press for the release of Wicked: For Good, which is set for Nov. 21, the performer shared personal details about her family. Erivo opened up about her relationship with her father, who disowned her sister and her when she was just a teenager.
Cynthia Erivo reflected on the estranged relationship she has with her father
The Broadway star was raised by her mother, Edith, in London after her parents fled the civil war in Nigeria a few years prior. Erivo told Harper’s Bazaar in the November 2025 issue that her father disowned her sister and her when she was 16 years old.
“I don’t know what my life would be like if he was still around, and I can’t say whether it would be better or worse,” she told the magazine. “Better not to find out. I’ve never daydreamed about that, because it’s not going to happen. And the life that I have, I am so happy in it.”
Erivo has shared details of her estrangement with her father in the past. In 2021, she told The Glossary that he had cut relations with her sister and her “as they stood in the middle of a London tube station.” She also shared that she had last seen him at a cousin’s wedding a decade prior to the interview.
Cynthia Erivo has referenced her estranged relationship with her father through her art
Erivo wrote the song “You’re Not Here” from her 2021 debut album Ch. 1 Vs. 1 about her father: “This is me admitting that there are things that he’s missed and I’m sad that he’s missed them,” she told The Glossary at the time. “There are things that he’s going to miss and I’m sad that he’s going to miss them. There is a part of me that wishes I could have my dad in my life. But there’s also a part of me that’s actually very comfortable because I’ve written this, knowing that he’s not going to be a part of my life at all.”
In June 2020, Erivo shared a Father’s Day social media post referencing the men in her life “who make the choice to show up.”
“In truth, the last time I had an interaction with my father was when I was 16…. it wasn’t good….but here is the most wonderful thing about that moment, it has made space for some of the most incredible men who have created an army of strength and vulnerability and love and care around me,” Erivo captioned her Instagram post. “They have filled that room over and over.”
She added, “So I wish Happy Father’s Day to those men who make the choice to show up in the spaces between. Happy Father’s Day to those who are absent, who left the space for healthier relationships. Happy Father’s Day to those who are with their children today, and those who tried their best but couldn’t make it to today. ALL fathers are important, so today I salute you all.”