“I’m glad people are finding joy in it and laughing,” said Tracy E. Gilchrist, who now-famously told Wicked star Cynthia Erivo that queer people are “holding space” for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity,” before the moment blew up online.
Even for those who are not chronically online, there’s a good chance you’ve heard or read about the latest viral phrase: “holding space.” And now the journalist who said the words taking over the internet is explaining what they mean.
The viral moment comes from a Wicked junket interview between journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist and stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.
Gilchrist — who is a journalist with EqualPride and was representing the brand’s Out Magazine at the junket — told Erivo, “This week, people are taking the lyrics to ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that. And feeling power in that.”
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Erivo then appeared to get emotional, telling Gilchrist, “I didn’t know that that was happening … that’s really powerful. That’s what I wanted.”
As Erivo became choked up, Grande seemingly went to grab her hand to comfort, but instead held on to her long, Elphaba-green painted fingernail.
“I’ve seen it on a couple posts, I don’t know how widespread. But I am in queer media,” Gilchrist added.
The clip blew on social media, with the moment — and the words “holding space” in particular — becoming a meme. The video racked up more than 6 million views on X, but it also blew up on TikTok, and Instagram as well — with celebrities and even brands jumping in on the viral moment as well.
In an interview with Variety, published on Monday, Gilchrist reflected on her interview going viral, how she feels about her words becoming a “catchphrase,” and breaks down the definition of “holding space.”
Fixed it to hold space with it and feel power in it pic.twitter.com/VXMBVnCccC
— Tom Zohar (@TomZohar) November 22, 2024
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Holding space for Our Little Secret tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/9veTmgGz0g
— Netflix (@netflix) November 26, 2024
@netflix
Gilchrist first looked back at how she prepared for the junket, telling the outlet, “I just did what I do, going in and doing an interview. I tend to be that person who goes in and asks the socially relevant question, or perhaps more serious than [most junket questions]. Mind you, this interview happened a day-and-a-half after the election. I’d interviewed Cynthia before, so I went in very sincerely.”
“I’m glad people are finding joy in it and laughing, and that it’s so viral,” she continued.
When asked how she feels about the clip going viral, Gilchrist admitted that it’s “overwhelming,” sharing that it “didn’t really go viral until last Friday.”
“I was in meetings and my phone started blowing up,” she recalled. “Later I was at lunch with a friend, and he kept asking me to explain what was happening — like, why is it funny? I don’t know! It just is.”
Gilchrist then addressed what many are likely wondering, and broke down what “holding space” means.
“I was very inspired by Tony Morrison, [senior communications director] from GLAAD. He posted the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ before I did my interview. It was a great explainer,” she told Variety. “‘Holding space’ is being physically, emotionally and mentally present with someone or something. For me, it means being in the moment, not being distracted and feeling something on a cellular level.”
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“I think you can hold space with lyrics of a song – one you’ve heard hundreds of times – and it can suddenly take on new meaning when you’re a queer person. The Trump administration is targeting LGBTQ+ people via Project 2025,” she continued. “When Cynthia sings ‘I’m through accepting limits,’ there’s power in that. She plays a character who is othered. One who comes to her full power when she is exiled by a charlatan, by a cruel leader. There’s a lot of resonance there right now for anyone who is marginalized. For me, holding space is listening to those lyrics anew and finding solace or inspiration.”
While she told Erivo during the interview that she saw a “couple of posts” about it, Gilchrist shared with Variety that the majority of her inspiration behind that question “actually came from a conversation with a friend.”
“I was using that to tee up the question, and I was a little thrown off by [Cynthia’s] response because it was so sincere and real,” she recalled. “I was a little flustered. I could have said, ‘I have all these friends, and this is our conversation.’ But instead I said, ‘I’m in queer media.'”
When the outlet called the clip a “definitive moment for the queer media,” Gilchrist said, “It’s a catchphrase now.”
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She also opened up about how she’s navigating being the subject of a viral moment.
“It’s been really wild. Of course, there are cynics and haters out there but I’m really just trying to not pay too much attention to that,” Gilchrist said. “This was for us, for queer people who understand what I meant by holding space — or really, for anybody who feels marginalized and can relate. So it’s for us. It’s not for them. They can hate all they want.”
As for what’s next, Variety asked the journalist if she plans on launching merchandise or even creating a “Holding Space” docuseries,” to which Gilchrist said the former is already happening.
“I’m a lot slower than the internet,” she admitted. “Friends of mine were telling me to get a merch store up and running. I’m already seeing the T-shirts and the ballcaps. A friend of mine was at a gay bar in Minneapolis this weekend, and said someone was wearing a shirt with my face on it,” she shared. “I have not considered the full breadth of what this might be. I had a podcast with The Advocate several years ago, so who knows? Maybe a little podcast. I’m open.”
Gilchrist previously spoke about “holding space” going viral last week, reflecting on the moment with Out, the outlet she represented in the junket.
“When I posed the question to Cynthia about people holding space with the lyrics to ‘Defying Gravity,’ it was two days after the election, and everyone I knew in the LGBTQ+ community was trying to make sense of what we might be facing,” she said. “I loved her response, and I love that people are having a laugh, because I know I could use one about now.”
“I never considered I’d become a meme,” Gilchrist added. “But as an unrepentant showqueen, I’m thrilled that it’s for something this campy, in response to a movie I love. Now go see Wicked!”
