Stephen Colbert, a professing Roman Catholic, said that the casting of woke actress Cynthia Erivo as Jesus in the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” is “long overdue,” adding that the “Wicked” star “obviously has the range” for the role, which drew criticism and was considered offensive and blasphemous by some.
For context, in an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Cynthia Erivo, a bisexual actress who uses they/them pronouns, spoke to the late-night host about her recent casting as Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” which Colbert praised, leading one X poster to criticise him for going against traditional Christian doctrine.
Speaking to Erivo on “The Late Show,” Colbert said, “One of my favorite musicals of all time is ‘Jesus Christ Superstar.'” He added, “I love that — and I’m so excited that in August, you’re going to be playing Jesus in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ at the Hollywood Bowl.” Continuing, Colbert praised the casting choice, saying, “First woman to play Jesus in a major production. Long overdue. I’ve said for years I’d love to see a woman in that part.”
In response, Erivo said, “I think the idea that I can play this role, and I’ve been given the opportunity to play it in front of so many people at that place [at] this time of my life is a very special thing.” She added, “It’s the first time I’ve been on stage in that way for a long time, so to do it with this role is awesome.”
Next, Colbert told Erivo that he believed that “playing Jesus in a rock opera” is “an incredibly demanding part,” adding that he believes Erivo “obviously [has] the range” for the role. In response to Colbert’s comments, X user Alex Christy called out the late-night host and the casting choice, saying, “Can someone please tell Hollywood that Female Jesus is not the same as Lady Ghostbusters?”
Importantly, Erivo’s casting as Jesus was met with major backlash from the Christian community when it was announced on February 18, 2025. Christian pastor John K. Amanchukwu, Sr., criticized the casting choice in an X post on the day it was announced, saying, “With all due respect, and humbly submitted, Cynthia Erivo is too BALD, BROWN, and BI to play Jesus. Casting a woman as Jesus Christ is an intentional form of blasphemy that Hollywood would be fuming over if done to certain other religions.”
In addition, after Pastor Amanchukwu posted on X, many Christian commenters echoed his sentiments, but author Lisa Pease defended Erivo, saying, “Jesus would have professed his honor at the incredible Cynthia Erivo portraying him. Unlike his so-called ‘followers,’ Jesus never spoke ill of LGBT people. He taught us to love each other as ourselves.” She added, “Cynthia will be brilliant as Jesus. I can’t wait!”
However, another X user who left a comment on Amanchukwu’s post said that even though they were “not even Chrsitian,” they, too, were offended by the casting choice, saying that while they enjoyed Erivo’s performance in “Wicked,” the casting seemed to be “all about Hollywood sticking their thumb in the eyes of Chrsitianity.”
Watch Erivo’s interview with Colbert:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video