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Why Searching Madame Morrible Brings Up Wicked Witch: Viral ‘Wicked’ Meme, Explained
When you search “Madame Morrible” on Google and it responds with “Flip it around — did you mean Wicked Witch?”, you know a TikTok meme has officially gone too far … or just far enough.
If you’ve been anywhere near Wicked content lately (let’s be honest, who hasn’t?), you’ve definitely heard Michelle Yeoh’s now-iconic line: “Madame Morrible, flip it around, Wicked Witch!” It started as a cute little joke she kept repeating during the Wicked: For Good press tour — and has since turned into Gen Z’s favorite inside bit. And yes, it’s become so widespread that even Google Search is on it.
ICYMI, Yeoh plays Madame Morrible in Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptation of the Broadway hit Wicked. She’s introduced in last year’s Wicked as the headmaster of Shiz University, where she quickly takes Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) under her wing after recognizing her magical abilities. By the end of the first installment, Madame Morrible has fully embraced her antagonistic side, and in For Good, she escalates her villainy by teaming up with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) to undermine Elphaba’s efforts to reveal the Wizard’s corruption. Yeoh has emphasized in interviews that Madame Morrible might actually be the true “Wicked Witch” of the story.
At one point during promo, she held up two M’s for “Madame Morrible,” flipped them upside down, and proudly revealed the “WW” — as in “Wicked Witch.” A sly wink, clever wordplay… it was all innocent enough.
@nerdycc new vocal stim unlocked #wickedforgood #michelleyeoh #madamemorrible #wicked #fyp
Then TikTok grabbed it and absolutely ran.
Now, the line is popping up in every corner of the internet, from compilation edits to duets to even other celebrities getting in on it. At this point, Yeoh can barely get through a red carpet interview without someone shouting the phrase back at her. But she seems to be loving every second of it.
Celebrities like Milo Manheim, global girl group KATSEYE have recreated it, the U.S. Soccer team picked it up and even the Grinch entered the chat. While it was all about “holding space” in last year’s Wicked press tour — this year it’s Madame Morrible’s world — we’re just flipping it around and living in it.
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