ENTERTAINMENTCynthia Erivo Defends Playing Religious Figure in Controversial 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Performance: 'It Would Help Us Grow'
On 'The View,' Cynthia Erivo clapped back at haters of her controversial 'Jesus Christ Superstar' performance.
Nov. 21 2025, Updated 4:29 p.m. ET
Cynthia Erivo has no regrets about playing Jesus Christ.
During the Friday, November 21, episode of The View, the actress, 38, defended her controversial title role in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl this past summer.
The decision to make a Black, queer woman Jesus Christ was met with much controversy, but Erivo saw it as a responsibility to make a statement.
Cynthia Erivo played Jesus in 'Jesus Christ Superstar.'
"It meant the world to me. It scared me when I knew I was going to play [Jesus Christ]," she revealed.
Her manager called her with the offer, and she was shocked to learn that producers wanted her to portray Jesus.
"That scares me. Give me a second. I'm going to call you back," she recalled telling her team. "Just because I had to think about it, and I knew it would be a challenge, but I also knew that it would help us grow to see my face, me, in a role like that. It challenged me as a person, as an actress, to grow into a part that felt that big, that special. Hopefully, it moved a lot of people."
Critiques of Cynthia Erivo in 'Jesus Christ Superstar'
Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert co-starred in 'Jesus Christ Superstar.'
Many members of the Christian community found Erivo's portrayal offensive.
Christopher Calvin Reid, a Christian radio host, called the show "a vile assault on Christian doctrine," writing: "The Bible is unequivocal: ‘The Word became flesh’ (John 1:14), incarnate as a man. Erivo’s casting isn’t just unbiblical — it’s a deliberate desecration."
"Disgusting, Christians will not stand for blasphemous displays of Christ," one X user wrote.
Christian actor Kevin Sorbo reposted a video of the Wicked star on the cross, calling the performance "demonic."
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Adam Lambert Stands Up for Cynthia Erivo Amid 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Controversy
Cynthia Erivo was 'challenged' by her role as Jesus Christ.
Erivo's costar Adam Lambert, who played Judas, defended her in an interview in August.
"Cynthia’s brilliant," the openly gay musician expressed. "Her voice, presence, and simultaneous power and vulnerability absolutely blows my mind and working with her has been a dream. I’m excited by the challenge of presenting the audience with a production led by a female, Black 'Jesus' and encourage the audience to expand their minds a bit. Originally utilizing rock and roll, Jesus Christ Superstar is supposed to provoke and challenge, that’s the point. And shouldn’t the teachings of Jesus transcend gender?"
Cynthia Erivo is slated to star in a one-woman show of 'Dracula.'
Others echoed Lambert's sentiment.
"Cynthia Erivo was INCREDIBLE as Jesus in the recent rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar that got made amidst sterile and pathetic protests by people who don't understand the musical," one person wrote on Reddit. "In my opinion, the controversy and the hate that she received by disgusting and racist people actually went on to improve the performance."
