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Cynthia Erivo attending the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner
Cynthia Erivo attending the 97th Annual Academy Awards Nominees Dinner
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Culture > Entertainment

Cynthia Erivo Is Pretty Private, But We Do Know Her Complete Dating History

Cynthia Erivo has captured the world’s attention with her incredible talent and unique style. From her starring in the Broadway production of The Color Purple, and as Harriet Tubman in the movie Harriet, to her jaw-dropping performance as Elphaba in Wicked, it’s no wonder why she’s so beloved. The performances she’s given have captured audiences’s hearts as her gift for storytelling keeps fans wanting more. With all this love for her, it makes sense why there would be some questions surrounding her dating life.

With her rising career putting her directly in the spotlight, Erivo has chosen to keep the details of her dating life relatively private. She even said in a November 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, “I’m very tight-lipped with my relationships, ’cause I don’t think that my relationship is for anyone else but for me…” She added, “It’s enough for people to know that I’m a queer person who could have relationships with men or women or neither.” 

While she’s kept most of her romances out of the spotlight, let’s look at the relationships we do know about.

Dean John-Wilson

Erivo and Wilson started dating in 2013 while working on a stage production of The Sister Act. From there, the pair were officially confirmed to be in a relationship in 2014 after they were spotted at an after-party for the 60th London Evening Standard Theatre Awards at the London Palladium. From there Erivo and Wilson made several public appearances throughout the duration of their relationship until their split in 2017. 

Mario Martinez

This relationship may be the one we know the most about. Erivo met Martinez in 2016 right after she won a Tony Award for her performance in The Color Purple. However, it wasn’t until 2017 that they began to date. Erivo and Martinez’s relationship lasted two years and seemed very sweet. Erivo even shared a sweet message under a now-deleted post for his birthday, “ I love you. May this day be sweet for love, may this year be full of great things. I cannot wait to witness the greatness you have in store,” she penned. 

Lena Waithe

Erivo is currently speculated to be dating Emmy-winning screenwriter Lena Waithe. While this has never been publicly confirmed, the pair were said to have started dating around 2020 and have made several public appearances together. Waithe even attended the Wicked premiere in LA wearing Erivo’s signature green. While there was speculation of an engagement after Erivo was spotted with a diamond ring on her left hand, that has since been shut down. 

No matter what’s going on in Ervio’s love life, she’s still an incredible actress who deserves all the love and happiness in the world.

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Holly Carter

Mercer '26

Holly Carter is a National Writer for Her Campus in the culture and entertainment section. She covers topics including music, television, and social media releases on the site.

Beyond Her Campus, Holly is a nanny for private family and has been with them for the last four years. She enjoys developing her skills in early childhood development and interpersonal communication. She is a junior at Mercer University, majoring in Classical Studies, where she learns how our past shapes our future as a society.

In her free time Holly enjoys discovering new music, baking new delicious recipes, and hiking. Her favorite recipe she has developed is her cookie recipe – which is, according to her friends, the best. She also loves all things the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and is committed to trying all her local coffee shops.