Cynthia Erivo traded Elphaba for a pink tracksuit and slaps on SNL UK
The host poked fun at British baking before teaming up with Ayoade Bamgboye to take on the eccentric Wizard of LagOz.
Cynthia Erivo took the stage to host Saturday Night Live UK on Saturday, October 24, delivering a monologue that riffed on British baking before flipping the script on her own big-screen musical role in a viral sketch.
The British actress and singer anchored Series 2, Episode 6 of the Sky One comedy series alongside musical guest Blossoms. Erivo opened the broadcast by joking about her longing to receive Paul Hollywood’s famous handshake while imagining what it would be like to compete on Series 17 of The Great British Bake Off in 2026.
Swapping roles for Nigerian Wicked
The centerpiece of the night came during a parody sketch titled “Nigerian Wicked,” reported by Deadline and Variety. Erivo, who played Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in the feature film adaptation of Wicked, reversed roles to play Glinda. Dressed in a blonde wig and a pink velour tracksuit, she shared the screen with ensemble cast member Ayoade Bamgboye, who stepped into the role of Elphaba.
Instead of singing the musical’s signature duet “What Is This Feeling,” the scene took a sharp comedic turn when Glinda slapped Elphaba across the face. When Bamgboye declared, “Glinda, you slapped me!” Erivo promptly replied, “Yes, because you are very classless.”
The parody continued as the characters met the Wizard of LagOz, voiced and played by Hammed Animashaun. Bamgboye’s Elphaba gasped, “The wizard? But I’m a virgin!” while requesting a “skinny BBL.” That prompted Animashaun’s voiceover to announce, “She wants a BBL that defies gravity!” Erivo’s Glinda countered by asking for a Birkin bag before the Wizard was exposed as broke and wearing a fake “nolex” watch.
The sketch concluded with Animashaun declaring “Nigerian Wicked: LGBTQ!” as Elphaba and Glinda shared an almost-kiss. An explosion graphic quickly covered the screen just as Bamgboye attempted the climactic final vocal run of “Defying Gravity.”
Fan reaction and SNL UK future
Viewers on X quickly singled out the segment following the broadcast, praising “Nigerian Wicked” as a standout performance and calling it one of the strongest sketches of Series 2 of Saturday Night Live UK.
The British adaptation, executive produced by Lorne Michaels, premiered on Sky One on March 21, 2026. Sky picked up a 12-episode second series in May 2026, splitting the run into a six-episode autumn block that began on September 12, 2026, and a second six-episode block planned for early 2027. Sky previously announced that Danny Dyer, James Norton, and Erivo would host episodes across October 2026, with Erivo closing out the autumn run.
Official ratings and total viewing figures across Sky One in the UK and Peacock streaming in the US for the episode have not yet been released.
