Wicked author Gregory Maguire confirms lesbian subtext between Glinda and Elphaba was always intentional while he was developing their relationship. The Wicked movie adaptation’s positive reviews have often highlighted the closeness in the relationship between Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), especially as their friendship starts to dwindle throughout the story. However, there have been interpretations of the pair having an LGBTQ+ relationship, with both Grande-Butera and Erivo supporting the possibility of looking at their connection through a romantic lens. However, nothing had ever been confirmed about just how close the pair truly were.

Speaking with Them, Maguire confirmed that, when he first wrote the Wicked novel in 1995, the lesbian subtext between Glinda and Elphaba was intentional. The author explained how, “it was modest and restrained and refined” in its presentation to leave enough up to the readers’ imagination, such as whether there was an unrequited connection, or if they were secretly in a loving relationship. He said that, while he purposefully laced subtext within his book, he never wanted to be forthright so readers could interpret it for themselves. Check out what Maguire had to say below:

That was intentional, and it was modest and restrained and refined in such a way that one could imagine that one of those two young women had felt more than the other and had not wanted to say it. Or perhaps because a novelist can’t write every scene, perhaps when the lights were out and the novelist was out having a smoke in the back alley, the girls had sex in the bed on the way to the Emerald City. I wanted to propose this possibility, but I did not want to make a declarative statement about.

What Maguire’s Confirmation Says About Glinda & Elphaba’s Relationship In Wicked

The Author Adds A Whole New Layer To his 29-Year-Old Story

Maguire’s confirmation about Glinda and Elphaba’s relationship offers a new reading of the story, one that emphasizes romance as another connection between the main characters. While the Wicked movie differs from the book in many important ways, as does the Broadway musical, both stories are still about the tragic end of a relationship and the paths of good and evil they go down. Because their basic premises are the same, it allows room to interpret both renditions of the musical as telling a love story between the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West.

The author’s statement arrives just as the feature film adaptation has crossed $450 million at the global box office, making it a huge success against its $150 million budget. With Wicked: Part Two getting released on November 21, 2025, Maguire’s reveal opens the door for a potential exploration of this subtext even more in the next movie. While it’s unclear if any adaptation would ever be direct about it, thus offering the audience multiple ways of looking at the story, his verification offers new ways the story can be presented in future renditions.

Our Take On Wicked’s Confirmed Lesbian Subtext

Should It Change Adaptations Going Forward?

Since Wicked has already been filmed, whatever lesbian subtext managed to make its way into the film adaptation already is likely all that will be present across both parts. Despite Maguire’s confirmation, it doesn’t mean future Broadway adaptations or other performances need to directly confirm Glinda and Elphaba are in a romantic relationship. However, it does open the door for a more direct version in the future, potentially exploring the pair through a different lens without just subtext to emphasize their connection to each other.

Maguire’s Wicked is much darker than the Broadway musical, which lifted some elements but ultimately tells a much different story.