Contrary to rumors swirling online, Cynthia Erivo did not wear an engagement ring to the Grammys this year.
After the Wicked actress, 38, wore a large sparkler on that finger at the Feb. 2 ceremony, fans speculated that she may be engaged to longtime partner Lena Waithe, but the ring was just a ring, a source tells PEOPLE — no strings attached.
Actually, all of Erivo’s Grammys jewelry — save for one ring — was loaned, and she can only wear the accessories on certain fingers because of the adornments on her nails, the insider notes. (The performer is known for her elaborate manicures, and she said her celestial style at the Grammys took five hours to create!)
While her Wicked costar Ariana Grande opted not to attend the 2025 Grammys, Erivo not only attended in a custom Louis Vuitton gown, but also took the stage with Herbie Hancock to perform a touching tribute to late music legend Quincy Jones, who died in November 2024 at age 91.
To honor the music icon, the two-time Academy Award nominee lended her powerful vocals to a heartfelt rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Check out all of PEOPLE’s full Grammys coverage here.
Erivo’s partner, Waithe — an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and actor — has been cheering the star on as she soaks up the success of Wicked: Part One. Waithe, 40, attended the premiere of the Jon M. Chu-directed stage-to-screen adaptation and, after it hit theaters in November, highlighted Erivo’s acclaimed performance in the film on social media.
The couple also spent time together in the lead-up to the box office hit’s release at various events, including the US Open Tennis Championships in September, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures gala in October and at the Tony Awards in June.
The pair is typically quite private about their relationship and personal lives in general, a decision that Erivo elaborated on in a recent interview.
While chatting with Vanity Fair in November (in a joint interview with Grande, 31) the vocalist said she’s “very tight-lipped with my relationships, ’cause I don’t think that my relationship is for anyone else but for me.”
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“I spend so much of my life sharing everything — whether it’s my work or my soul or my life in speeches,” Erivo told the magazine. “I think I give enough of myself that I’m allowed to keep something for me.”
“And who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind at some point,” she added at the time. “But, I think it’s okay. It’s enough for people to know that I’m a queer person who could have relationships with men or women or neither.”
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