Oprah Winfrey Stuns Tony Awards Crowd by Recreating Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s Emotional ‘Holding Space’ Viral Moment — You Won’t Believe What Happened Onstage Next
Oprah Winfrey Stuns Tony Awards Crowd by Recreating Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s Emotional ‘Holding Space’ Viral Moment — You Won’t Believe What Happened Onstage Next
:format(jpeg):background_color(fff)/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsmbl.nl%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2FOprah-Winfrey-Tony-Awards-2025.png)
OPRAH WINFREY SHOCKS TONY AWARDS AUDIENCE WITH EMOTIONAL RECREATION OF CYNTHIA ERIVO AND ARIANA GRANDE’S VIRAL ‘HOLDING SPACE’ MOMENT — WATCH WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!
It started as a quiet nod… and turned into the most unexpected emotional highlight of the 78th Tony Awards.
On Sunday, June 8, 2025, at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the world witnessed a heartwarming — and, frankly, stunning — exchange between two powerhouse women: Oprah Winfrey and Cynthia Erivo. What began as a playful backstage pep talk exploded into a viral sensation within minutes after airing live on CBS and Paramount+.
A Pep Talk No One Saw Coming
As Cynthia Erivo, the 38-year-old British actress and singer, prepared to step on stage for her highly anticipated hosting debut at the Tonys, cameras followed her dramatic, carefully staged backstage walk — a scene filled with last-minute advice from fellow performers, producers, and friends.
But the crescendo of that walk came when none other than Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul and global icon, appeared seemingly out of nowhere to give Erivo a brief but unforgettable moment of encouragement.
“What do you do when everyone’s telling you what you need to do?” Erivo asked, her voice half-joking, half-serious.
Without missing a beat, Oprah replied, “Forget about them, babe! The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.”
Classic Oprah — wise, commanding, yet profoundly simple.
The Gesture That Said It All
But it wasn’t Oprah’s words that shook the audience. It was what happened next.
In a direct, unmistakable callback to the now-iconic “holding space” moment that took the internet by storm in late 2024, Oprah reached out her right hand and pointed her index finger toward Erivo. Without hesitation, Erivo grasped Oprah’s finger, the two women locked eyes, and smiled knowingly.
The crowd inside Radio City may not have fully caught the nuance — but social media did.
Within seconds, clips of the moment flooded X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok, all captioned with variations of: “They did the finger thing!!!”
The Backstory: How a Simple Finger Hold Became a Viral Symbol of Support
To truly grasp why this tiny gesture sparked such a massive reaction, you’d have to rewind to November 2024.
During a joint interview for Out Magazine, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande — her co-star in the upcoming Wicked film adaptation — sat down with journalist Tracy Gilchrist. The conversation took an unexpectedly emotional turn when Gilchrist spoke about how the LGBTQ+ community connected with the empowering lyrics of Wicked’s anthem, “Defying Gravity.”
As Gilchrist’s words landed, Erivo appeared visibly emotional, her eyes welling up. Sensing the moment, Ariana Grande — always known for her playful demeanor — did something unexpected: she reached out, gently grabbed Erivo’s index finger, and tapped it softly with her acrylic nails.
It was a bizarre, tender, and oddly profound act that instantly became a meme.
Fans dubbed it “the holding space moment.”
From Meme to Movement
In a later interview with Variety, Grande opened up about what really happened during that viral encounter.
“She looked like she was about to cry,” Grande said. “I didn’t know what else to do. So, I thought… maybe she just needs something. So, I held her finger.”
The sincerity of the moment melted hearts worldwide. Social media exploded with thousands of memes, parodies, and heartfelt posts — many highlighting how such a simple gesture of silent support could mean the world to someone in a vulnerable moment.
Even Grande herself laughed about the endless online jokes, calling them “so beautiful.”
“I felt really relieved that the world had the same experience with this moment that I did,” she told Variety. “Because for a second I thought, ‘Oh God, did I make this awkward?’ But instead, it became this… shared feeling.”
Oprah Joins the Meme — And Makes It Bigger Than Ever
Fast forward to June 8, 2025 — and Oprah Winfrey decides to make it her own.
Her reenactment with Erivo wasn’t just playful banter. It felt like a full-circle moment: from a viral meme about friendship and silent support… to a worldwide-televised, unscripted nod of solidarity between two legends on one of theater’s biggest nights.
Even though Erivo didn’t shed tears this time, the meaning wasn’t lost on viewers.
“She held the finger… SHE HELD THE FINGER,” one X user wrote, racking up over 500,000 likes in just an hour.
Another commented, “Oprah giving Erivo the finger (in the best way) — this is the energy I’m taking into Monday.”
The Aftermath: Internet Breaks, Hearts Melt
As the Tony Awards continued, hashtags like #HoldingSpace2.0, #OprahAndErivo, and #TonyViralMoment dominated trending charts worldwide.
PEOPLE magazine posted the clip with the headline: “Did That Just Happen? Oprah and Cynthia Recreate Viral Meme — And Fans Are Living for It!”
Late-night hosts referenced the moment in their opening monologues. TikTok users created mashups of the original Ariana moment with the new Oprah reenactment.
By Monday morning, even major news outlets like The New York Times and CNN Entertainment weighed in, calling it “a surprising cultural crossover no one expected — and everyone loved.”
Beyond the Meme: A Message That Resonates
What started as a spontaneous moment in an awards show backstage corridor became a subtle but powerful reminder of what it means to be there for someone — even in silence.
In an era when celebrity culture often feels plastic and performative, the finger-holding saga of Erivo, Grande, and now Winfrey, stands as a testament to genuine human connection… and how sometimes, a simple gesture says more than a thousand words.
As Oprah herself said later in a backstage interview with CBS, “It’s about showing up for each other. Whether it’s a friend, a co-star, or someone you admire — sometimes you don’t need words. Just presence.”
