What 'holding space' actually means after clip of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo leaves internet baffled

Wicked's promotional tour has been a long and bizarre journey, with leading actors Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sparking a multitude of now-viral moments.

And this week, another nonsensical meme has been added to their roster, after a clip showing the pair being told by a journalist that the movie's 'Defying Gravity' lyrics have seen viewers 'holding space' set the internet ablaze with confusion.

Wicked's headline-hitting moments so far

As we say, the magical movie's two lead stars have hit headlines ceaselessly in recent weeks for the interviews they've given press on the lead-up to its last week (22 Nov in the UK).

Some fans were baffled last week after one high-profile conversations saw Glinda star Ariana and Elphaba actress Cynthia breaking down in tears after being asked one simple question by a reporter.

After a journalist asked, 'In what way has the person sitting next to you changed you ‘for good'?', after which the pair looked at one another and couldn't stop crying, with Ariana later telling iHeart Radio host Amanda Holden: "We can’t help it! We get very emotional about it."

Weeks prior, it was Cynthia who left potential Wicked viewers perplexed after publicly slamming a die-hard fan for whipping up a computer-generated poster in the film's honour.

Not only did the Broadway star brand the artwork the 'most offensive thing' she'd ever seen, but she re-edited the poster herself, with many spectators accusing her of blowing the fan-made image out of proportion.

Another interview goes viral

Now, however, with the film firmly in cinemas, another promotional moment has gone viral, and viewers are claiming they can't get their heads around any aspect of a joint interview the pair gave to Out reporter Tracey E. Gilchrist.

A TikTok of the chat - which has since racked up millions of views online - sees the journalist telling 'bad witch' Cynthia, 37: "I've seen this week people are taking the lyrics of 'Defying Gravity' and really holding space with that and feeling power in that."

Cynthia then reacts with an expression of shock, with Ariana reaching across and taking hold of her fingers for support.

"I didn't know that that was happening," she replies. "That's really powerful. That's what I wanted. I didn't know that was happening."

The journalist then clarifies: "I've seen it on a couple of posts - I don't know how widespread - but I am in queer media."

"That's really cool," Cynthia adds.

As we say, however, viewers of the video - which is accompanied by some uber-dramatic music - have been left stumped over every aspect of the interview.

And naturally, this has prompted countless jokes online.

One viewer tweeted in jest: "if i'm holding space with the lyrics of defying gravity, and you're in queer media, then who the hell is holding this finger."

Another summarised the confusion in its entirety: "I can't tell what my favourite part of this video is: the solemnity in announcing people have been ‘holding space’ for the lyrics of a 20 year old song, Cynthia acting like she personally wrote it, Ariana holding onto Cynthia's index finger, or the reveal of ‘a couple of posts'."

Let us break it down for you...

Basically, the moment has been so hotly-discussed because the journalist has seemingly used the term 'holding space' in an entirely incorrect capacity.

First derived by writer Heather Platt in a 2015 blog post, 'holding space' describes the ability to 'walk alongside another person in whatever journey they're on, without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome'.

It's all about being present with another person and validating their feelings, and according to Vulture, it has groundings in social justice.

So, what exactly does that have to do with the lyrics in a Wizard of Oz spin-off movie?

Well, nothing. In fact, Forbes magazine accused the reporter of 'clumsily' applying the term to this scenario.

"She seems to be making reference to Wicked fans feeling inspired and empowered by the song, and chose to articulate it in a way many would describe as 'therapy speak'," they explain.

But, what about Cynthia's hyper-emotive response to the news?

It seems as though the ever passionate star is just going with the flow, having previously expressed how important that one key song is to the movie.

"I think it’s really important for [Elphaba] to not allow the things that have hurt her, that have stripped her of her humanity, to keep her down," she previously told press.

"I think that’s something that we could all learn: that we don’t have to be tethered, that we could actually fly."