NBC reportedly removes "power-hungry dictator" comment from Wicked concert special

Is there a real-life power-hungry dictator the network is afraid of?

By Emma Keates | November 7, 2025 | 1:26pm

Photo: Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures

Film News Wicked

NBCUniversal seems to be hoping no one will mourn a particular comment it removed from Wicked: One Wonderful Night, a recently-aired concert special celebrating the Stephen Schwartz musical. According to multiple outlets in attendance at the event’s live taping a few months ago (per Billboard), Nessarose actor Marissa Bode introduced “Defying Gravity” by describing it as the moment Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo in the film) stands up to a “power-hungry dictator.” The comment, which notably did not name any real-life power-hungry dictators, received “thunderous applause and a standing ovation” that forced Bode to pause her remarks mid-sentence, per Deadline. It isn’t hard to imagine which unpopular autocrat the crowd might have had in mind while it cheered.

But when the special aired on Thursday, Bode’s comment—and the reportedly raucous applause that followed—had been magicked right out. In the edited version, Bode merely says: “The song is an ode to authenticity and about believing in yourself no matter what obstacles the world puts in your way. Performing ‘Defying Gravity,’ please welcome the incredible Cynthia Erivo.” Reps from NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club‘s request for comment on this story.

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While events of this type are frequently edited for clarity and run-time, it’s hard not to see the removal of this particular comment—which, again, was explicitly about the plot of the musical in question—as an example of the kind of preemptive self-censorship decried by artists like Shonda Rhimes that we’ve seen amidst the second Trump term’s twitchy media landscape. We don’t know for sure that this decision was a response to the same sort of pressures that inspired ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! or Paramount to settle its 60 Minutes lawsuit with Trump earlier this year. Still, as Glinda knows, it’s all about how you’re viewed, and this certainly doesn’t look great.