Well, this certainly wasn’t on our 2026 bingo card. Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh performed her viral ‘Madame Morrible’ meme right next to Malaysia’s prime minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday night. The amusing moment came during their opening speeches at the launch of the I LITE U initiative in Pavilion KL.
Anwar introduced Michelle Yeoh by showering praises on her achievements in her acting career and shouting out her role as Madame Morrible in the highly popular Wicked films.
“Thank you again to all the ministers and everyone for the support of this event but it is a rare honour, a real pleasure and a distinguished honour for all Malaysians that we have with us the outstanding Madame Morrible of Wicked and the first Asian Oscar winner,” he said.
Deciding to do away with a formal speech, he highlighted Yeoh’s humble beginnings in Ipoh, Perak and her rise to Hollywood stardom before inviting to share her remarks. Yeoh, blushing red, came to the stage and admitted that she wasn’t ready to make a speech.
@liewtecklai38 Pelakon pemenang Anugerah Pelakon Wanita Terbaik Oscar, Michelle Yeoh telah secara spontan membuat isyarat tangan “MM” yang mewakili watak Madam Morrible dan “WW” bagi Watak Wicked Witch semasa majlis perasmian I Lite U. Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim yang berada di sisi beliau turut memberikan tepukan gemuruh, menjadikan suasana majlis penuh keceriaan dan kegembiraan. #MichelleYeoh #AnwarIbrahim #ILiteU
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“But I do know what you want. Madame Morrible. Flip it around and we get Wicked Witch!” Yeoh quoted her viral meme. The prime minister, appearing to have seen the meme too, clapped his hands in laughter.
During the release of Wicked: For Good Yeoh’s clip of her connecting her character to the Wicked Witch during a cast interview went viral as a meme. Yeoh found her viral moment and she sparred no shame flipping her three fingers from MM to WW during the films’ red carpet events.
After sharing a good laugh, the Academy Award-winning actress quickly switched to inspire as she shared her words to Malaysians to ‘seize opportunities’.
“I think what it is, like all fellow Malaysians, we know what it is to work hard. When you work hard and when the opportunity arises, you have the chance to seize it and run with it and do it well, hopefully,” Yeoh shared.
“And I know every time I come back to Malaysia and every time I walk the streets and I see all your faces. You inspire me to to do more and to represent you well to the rest of the world.”
The ‘I LITE U’ smart lighting initiative serves as the beginning of the Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism campaign. The event saw Bukit Bintang illuminated by with over 70 light art installations arranged over 1KM in Jalan Imbi.
Watch Michelle Yeoh and Anwar Ibrahim’s full speech here:
(Hero image credit: Instagram/anwaribrahim_my & and Feature image credit: Instagram/taufiqjohari)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
