Ariana & Cynthia Say They’re in a ‘Non‑Demi Curious, Semi‑Binary’ Relationship… WTF Does That Even Mean?

If you’ve scrolled TikTok, X, or Theatre Kid Instagram in the last week, you’ve probably tripped over the phrase “non‑Demi curious, semi‑binary relationship” and immediately asked the only logical question: what on earth are they talking about? The term, now attached to Wicked co‑stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, has gone from niche in‑joke to headline bait in record time. It sounds like a grad‑school thesis on gender studies, but it’s being used to describe two actors who may or may not just be very affectionate coworkers.

Here’s the spoiler: this isn’t a real, recognized relationship label. It’s a chaotic mash‑up of actual identity language and internet humor that landed on a fandom already obsessed with reading between the lines of every glance, grip, and giggle between these two.

What “non‑Demi curious, semi‑binary” is trying to do

At its core, the phrase is performance. It borrows real terms like “demi,” “curious,” and “binary,” then stacks them into something that sounds hyper‑specific while ultimately saying… almost nothing. It’s the situationship era dressed in queer‑coded academic cosplay. In plain English, the vibe is:

“We’re extremely close, we flirt with the idea of more, but we’re not calling it dating.”

For some fans, that ambiguity is the point. It mirrors the way a lot of modern relationships operate—emotionally intense, physically affectionate, publicly visible, but deliberately undefined. For everyone else, especially outside theatre and fandom spaces, it reads as theatre‑kid word salad.

The internet reacts: “Explain it like I’m five”

The audience reaction has been swift and brutal in the funniest way. Timelines are full of people essentially saying, “I looked this up and not even the internet knows what it means.” One user joked that they needed “a PowerPoint, a flowchart, and a glossary” just to keep up, while another quipped, “So y’all are in a relationship that’s 100% vibes and 0% clarity—just say that.”

On the lighter side, the phrase has already mutated into a meme template. People are using “non‑Demi curious, semi‑binary” to describe everything from their toxic situationships to that one friend they cuddled with all college but “never dated.” It’s becoming shorthand for any connection that is way too complicated to explain at brunch.

Could this be a PR stunt?

Is this whole thing organic chaos, or a carefully placed PR glitter bomb? The truth is likely somewhere in the messy middle. Wicked’s promo cycle was always going to be big, but a confusing, highly meme‑able “relationship label” is the kind of accidental lightning most marketing teams can only dream of. Whether the original wording came from a joke, a satire post, or a tongue‑in‑cheek comment, the effect is the same: everyone is talking about Ariana and Cynthia.

From a media strategy standpoint, it works. A bizarre label cuts through crowded feeds faster than another polished soundbite about “sisterhood” and “creative collaboration.” It also conveniently shifts the conversation away from heavier discourse around Ariana’s personal life by giving the internet a shiny new toy: a label to clown, remix, and recontextualize. Even if no one sat in a boardroom and said, “Let’s go with semi‑binary,” the attention it’s generating is pure PR gold.

Is this just normal theatre‑kid energy?

For anyone who grew up around performing arts programs, none of this feels that shocking. Theatre kids have a long tradition of giving their dynamics dramatic names: “stage spouse,” “art soulmate,” “rehearsal wife,” “creative twin.” Their friendships tend to be physically affectionate, emotionally intense, and described in language that sounds one step away from a fanfic title.

For the rest of the world—especially casual moviegoers who don’t speak fluent Fandom—this reads as completely unhinged. Half the internet is laughing, the other half is squinting, and both halves are still sharing the clips. That’s the sweet spot where modern celebrity lives: just confusing enough to go viral, just emotional enough to feel “real,” and just unserious enough to shrug off when the next headline hits.

So WTF does it mean?

Practically speaking, “non‑Demi curious, semi‑binary relationship” means three things:

• Ariana and Cynthia are extremely close and comfortable performing that closeness in public.
• The internet is hungry for labels, even if those labels are nonsense.
• Whether it started as a joke, a misquote, or a moment of theatre‑kid improv, it’s doing exactly what the industry runs on: keeping their names in your mouth and on your timeline.

Until someone sits down and gives a clear, sober definition (don’t hold your breath), the phrase will keep living where it was born—in memes, stan jokes, and group chats where everyone is asking the same question you are:

“Love that for them, I guess… but seriously, WTF does that even mean?”