A Moment of Appreciation for Cynthia Erivo and Michaela Coel’s Friendship

Just like any awards show these days, the 2021 Emmys has been filled with peaks (claw manicures and secret charms) and valleys (A Black Lady Sketch Show getting absolutely robbed), but the night hit a high when Michaela Coel won her first Emmy for writing her semi-autobiographical show, I May Destroy You. The moment was made even better when Coel received what looked to be a pep talk from her table-mate, Cynthia Erivo, before she took the stage to accept her award. Now, Twitter is demanding more details.

Coel and Erivo have been friends for over a decade and even worked together on Coel’s sitcom, Chewing Gum back in 2015 (in fact, it was Erivo’s first on-camera speaking role). Tonight, both actress were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie for their respective roles in I May Destroy You and Genius: Aretha (the award was won by Kate Winslet for Mare of Eastown). The pair clearly remained supportive of each other throughout the night, however, because when Coel won for Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, the camera focused on Erivo and Coel as they shared a sweet moment.

Of course, we don’t know what was said between the women, but that hasn’t stopped viewers from taking to Twitter and showing their appreciation for the pair’s friendship.

Following the exchange with Erivo, Coel took the stage to accept her award, taking a moment during her speech to dedicate I May Destroy You to “every survivor of sexual assault,” capping off a perfect moment on this Sunday night. As Olivia Colman said in her acceptance speech tonight, “Michaela Coel, fuck yeah.”