Hasty Pudding To Hold Space for Cynthia Erivo as 2025 Woman of the Year

Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo will be the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 2025 Woman of the Year, the student group announced Tuesday.

Erivo received multiple Golden Globe nominations for her role as Elphaba in Universal’s 2024 musical film “Wicked: Part One.” She also starred in the films “Harriet” and “Drift” and the series “Genius: Aretha.” Erivo won a Daytime Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony award for her 2015 performance in Broadway’s “The Color Purple.”

“We are holding space for Cynthia Erivo’s arrival,” the group’s Man and Woman of the Year Coordinator Hannah R. Frazer ’25 said in a Tuesday press release. “We’re sweeping out our broomstick closets and prepping some wicked smart humor as we eagerly await her in February.”

Hasty Pudding Theatricals annually selects two celebrities as Man and Woman of the Year, honored by a roast and a ceremonial Pudding Pot. Last week, the group named Golden Globe award-winning actor Jon Hamm their 2025 Man of the Year.

Erivo will be celebrated as the 75th Woman of the Year on Feb. 5, after which she will attend a performance of the Theatricals’ annual musical comedy production. Hasty Pudding spokesperson Chaelon Simpson ’26 wrote in a text message Tuesday that the festivities will also include a parade through Harvard Square prior to the roast.

The group wrote in their press release that they are proud to honor Erivo’s “truly unique and impactful presence in the world of entertainment.”

“Looks like someone might need to hold Cynthia’s hand — or finger — during this roast,” Hasty Pudding Theatricals Producer Daisy M. Nussbaum ’26 said in the press release. “That said, we promise not to be as mean as the wizard. By the end, she’ll be the one who’s truly popular with the crowd.”

—Staff writer Hiral M. Chavre can be reached at hiral.chavre@thecrimson.com.