What does holding space mean and what does it have to do with Wicked? We asked the author who helped popularize the term.

A viral clip from the ‘Wicked’ press tour featuring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande sparked many memes — here’s how it started and how it evolved.

Ariana Grande has responded to the viral "holding space" moment from the Wicked press tour. The singer and actor, who plays Glinda the Good Witch in the musical movie, commented a response to a recreation of the famous "holding space" interview moment featuring the original interviewer, Out reporter Tracy E. Gilchrist.

Gilchrist, who has been mocked by the internet for creating the completely nonsensical now-viral phrase, told Variety on Monday that the interview was conducted a day and a half after the Nov. 5 presidential election, and that she went into the sit-down with “sincere” intentions.

The phrase “holding space” in the context of the Wicked song “Defying Gravity” comes from Out Magazine reporter Tracey E. Gilchrist as she interviewed Erivo and Ariana Grande during the press tour. “I’ve seen, this week, people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that,” she said. “And feeling power in that.”

Stephen Schwartz’s musical “Wicked” — after two decades of acclaim, rumors and anticipation — has finally been adapted for the big screen under the direction of Jon M. Chu. “Wicked,” a reimagining of MGM’s classic film “The Wizard of Oz,” expands the narratives of the witches of Oz and challenges their characterizations as “good” or “evil.”

The internet has been inundated with a press tour moment from the film "Wicked" that's been memed around the world: Actress Cynthia Erivo, overcome with emotion, shares she's stunned to hear people have been taking lyrics from the "Wicked" song "Defying Gravity" and "really holding space with that.

Let’s set the scene! A reporter from Out.com told Erivo this: “I’ve seen this week, people are taking the lyrics of Defying Gravity and really holding space with that, and feeling power in that.” Erivo got very emotional, saying she didn’t know that had happened and that it was extremely powerful. Grande then held her … finger.

Part One’ cliffhanger ending—and its powerful extension of the song “Defying Gravity”—provide some rationale behind a viral meme.

One of the most awaited films of the year made its debut in theaters Nov. 22, with fans restlessly preparing to see the green-pink duo in “Wicked.” Ironically and a little tediously, the movie opens with a voiceover where Glinda addresses the Munchkins,

After over a week of Wicked fans taking the lyrics of "Defying Gravity" and really holding space and feeling power with that, star of the blockbuster film Ariana Grande has responded to the now iconic meme.