Cynthia Erivo is opening up about her complicated relationship with her father, sharing that she has finally made peace with his absence. In an interview published Tuesday, October 28, with Harper’s Bazaar, the 38-year-old actress and singer said she no longer dwells on what life might have been like if her father had stayed.
“I don’t know what my life would be like if he were still around, and I can’t say whether it would be better or worse,” she said. “Better not to find out. I’ve never daydreamed about that, because it’s not going to happen. And the life that I have, I am so happy in it.”
The interview appears in the November 2025 issue of Harper’s Bazaar and comes ahead of the release of her memoir, Simply More: A Book for Anyone Who Has Been Told They’re Too Much, which will be published on Tuesday, November 18. In her book, Erivo writes candidly about growing up in London with her mother, Edith, after her father left the family when she was 16.
According to Harper’s Bazaar, she revealed that he “disowned” her and her sister before leaving. This is not the first time the Wicked star has spoken about her estranged relationship with her father. In a 2021 interview, she shared that the last time she saw him was more than ten years ago at a cousin’s wedding. She said she has since learned to channel her emotions into her art, particularly through her song “You’re Not Here.”
“This is me admitting that there are things that he’s missed and I’m sad that he’s missed them,” she told Glossary magazine at the time. She added, “There are things that he’s going to miss and I’m sad that he’s going to miss them.” While Erivo once hoped her father might reenter her life, she now finds comfort in accepting the reality of their separation.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(771x880:773x882):format(webp)/Cynthia-Erivo-harpers-bazaar-november-2025-cover001-ecb753b21cbe43ed8873715e3dd7bd28.jpg)
“There is a part of me that wishes I could have my dad in my life. But there’s also a part of me that’s actually very comfortable because I’ve written this, knowing that he’s not going to be a part of my life at all,” she said. Throughout her career, Erivo has been known for her willingness to share deeply personal truths.
She says vulnerability is essential to her storytelling. “I don’t know if I could have written anything that wasn’t honest,” she noted. “I want people to know that it is OK to talk about those things. I want them to find solace and comfort in my music. The goal has only ever been to be truthful.”