Racial bias in UK media: Cynthia Erivo's exclusion from 'Wicked' coverage rekindles Meghan Markle debate

Major British media coverage is being blamed over Cynthia Erivo's exclusion from the big forerunners ahead of film premiere 'Wicked' in 2024, and once again, the prevailing discussions the UK has been termed as ill-treatment Meghan Markle went through. In the days leading up to the release of the film, fans were shocked by the depiction of the Elphaba character of Erivo in the opening scenes of 'Wicked', where the gasps of the audience reflect the racial tensions that Erivo's character faces because of her skin color. This triggered a backlash from the netizens who were disturbed at the notion that such on-screen racism could reflect real-world issues.

Criticism mounted particularly over the UK media's lack of coverage of Erivo, with reports highlighting how British publications focused almost exclusively on Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, despite Erivo’s pivotal role as Elphaba. The Shade Borough is a UK gossip account that shared a video to illustrate how big newspapers, like 'The Daily Telegraph', 'The Times' and 'The Daily Mail', featured Grande's red carpet look while omitting Erivo's presence in the celebrations at the Royal Festival Hall, where the premiere took place as mentioned by Hindustan Times.

This sparked heated debates on social media, with several people accusing the British media of creating a systematic meltdown of Black talent. One frustrated Twitter user said that although Erivo featured as the main character, her contribution was being overshadowed. Others argued that the concentration on Grande and for that matter on that character was a strategic marketing move to focus on her, that in the movie turns into the famous Glinda the Good Witch.

The debate quickly escalated into a much wider conversation on the racial bias within the British press, bringing back yet again into the spotlight Meghan Markle's experience. Meghan and husband Prince Harry previously addressed the racism they faced from the UK media during their 2021 Oprah interview. Meghan pointed out how the very negative coverage about her by the press made stark contrast with generally positive coverage Kate Middleton received and accused the media of perpetuating racial bias.

In light of the recent media back and forth between herself and Erivo, social media users have been quick to draw parallels to Meghan's earlier claims. Some commenters quoted that Meghan had actually "pre-warned" the public on racist tendencies within the UK media, and with this current treatment of Erivo, she was right to be worrying. Support for Erivo has picked up as fans call out the media on its discriminatory patterns.