logo
Cynthia Erivo shines as host in star-studded 2025 Tony Awards

Cynthia Erivo shines as host in star-studded 2025 Tony Awards

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo led a star-studded night at the 2025 Tony Awards.
The evening's big winners included Succession star Sarah Snook and Cole Escola, who took home awards for leading actress and actor in a play.
In the musical categories, Glee alum Darren Criss was named best leading actor in a musical, while Nicole Scherzinger earned best leading actress for her turn as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd.
The show celebrated a blend of Broadway newcomers, veterans, and Hollywood stars with performances, tributes, and surprises throughout the night.
Erivo, the English stage and screen actress who won a Tony in 2016 for her role in The Colour Purple, kicked off the festivities from her dressing room at Radio City Music Hall in New York, where her stage manager asked if she had an opening number prepared.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by CBS (@cbstv)
She joked she was still figuring it out.
As she made her way to the main stage, she ran into several people offering advice, until she met Oprah Winfrey, who simply told her: 'The only thing you need to do is just be yourself.'
On stage, Erivo launched into the original number Sometimes All You Need Is a Song, written by Scott Wittman, Marc Shaiman, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul.
In her opening monologue, Erivo paid tribute to first-time nominees Escola, Sadie Sink, Louis McCartney and 'an up-and-comer that I think you're going to really be hearing quite a bit about: George Clooney'.
At one point, Erivo was joined on stage by singer Sara Bareilles for a rendition of Tomorrow from the musical Annie, in tribute to those in the theatre community who had died throughout the year.
A star-studded lineup of presenters included Samuel L Jackson and wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Ben Stiller and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Calling back to Winfrey's talk show days, Erivo told her to check under her chair, where she found a gift bag containing a toy car.
'You get a car!' Erivo said.
'I've been waiting all night to do that.'
Maybe Happy Ending, a romantic comedy about a pair of androids, picked up awards for best new musical, best original score written for theatre and best scenic design of a musical and best direction of a musical.
Criss, the show's lead actor, thanked his wife in an emotional acceptance speech.
'Your love and your support for me and our beautiful children, combined with the miracle of working on something as magical as Maybe Happy Ending, has been and will always be award enough,' he said.
Purpose, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing-room drama won best new play, while Sam Pinkleton won best director of a play for Oh, Mary!
'Broadway is officially back,' Erivo told the crowd during the show, referencing the industry's highest-grossing season on record.
Delighting the audience, the original cast of Hamilton reunited to perform a medley to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary.
Francis Jue, who won as best featured actor in a play for Yellow Face, paid tribute to those struggling in the current political climate.
'To those who don't feel seen, to those who are being targeted in these authoritarian times, I see you at its best,' he said.
'This community sees you.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Succession star set to join BBC Debate Night panel
Succession star set to join BBC Debate Night panel

The National

time11 hours ago

  • The National

Succession star set to join BBC Debate Night panel

Brian Cox, known for his roles in Succession, Braveheart and Manhunter, will join a host of MSPs and a devolution specialist on the latest episode. READ MORE: Filming for new Samuel L Jackson and Glen Powell movie to take over Glasgow Cox will feature alongside SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross Maree Todd, Scottish Conservatives MSP for Lothian Sue Webber, Labour MSP for Glasgow Pam Duncan-Glancy, and Glasgow University professor of public policy and governance Nicola McEwen. Debate Night will air on BBC Scotland at 9pm, and on BBC One Scotland at 10:40pm. The actor has previously been outspoken about his support for Scottish independence, saying ahead of Nicola Sturgeon's 2023 departure from Bute House: 'We mustn't give up the pursuit of independence. We can't separate ourselves off, we are part of these British Isles, but we should no longer be a United Kingdom.' READ MORE: Scottish Government receives more than 80 inquiries into projects for Grangemouth The Succession star trained at Dundee Rep Theatre and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Shakespear's King Lear. He is set to return to the stage for the first time in a decade later this year, where he'll star as the ghost of Scots philosopher Adam Smith in a satirical play about the 2008 financial crash at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Cox has won several accolades throughout his career, including an Olivier, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe.

Meghan Markle's Hollywood A-list wedding guests were friends she 'wanted to recruit', royal insider claims
Meghan Markle's Hollywood A-list wedding guests were friends she 'wanted to recruit', royal insider claims

Daily Mail​

time17 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Meghan Markle's Hollywood A-list wedding guests were friends she 'wanted to recruit', royal insider claims

It was the celebrity event of the year when Prince Harry and Meghan said 'I do' in May 2018. But while royal weddings are often a who's who of A-listers, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex 's matrimony had more of a tinsel town sparkle than any previous union. George and Amal Clooney, the cast of Suits and Oprah Winfrey were just some of the Hollywood guests in St George's Chapel. Although many famous faces from across the pond were there as friends of Meghan, it has been claimed that the duchess was not very chummy with the stars. The attendants were not Meghan's nearest and dearest but rather the friends she 'most wanted to recruit', royal insider Tina Brown wrote in her book The Palace Papers. 'The celebrity guests were a portrait not of Meghan's intimate circle but of the friends she most wanted to recruit,' Brown said. Even Oprah had 'scarcely met' Meghan before the big day and when columnist Rachel Johnson asked the Clooneys how they knew Meghan, the couple replied: 'We don't.' Since Harry and Meghan stood down as working royals in 2020, the duchess has struggled to recruit the friends she was so keen to make. George and Amal Clooney at Harry and Meghan's wedding. They were just some of the A-list celebrities at the ceremony Amal attended Meghan's lavish £221,000 New York baby shower in 2019. However, in recent years the lawyer has only deepened her ties with royals by launching the Amal Clooney Women's Empowerment Award with the King's Trust. After her notorious interview with Oprah in 2021 - when the duchess opened up about her mental health struggles and claimed a member of the Firm asked about Archie's skin colour - it does not appear the pair have been in contact much since. And Oprah was not one of the guests Meghan booked for her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. Indeed, the calibre of stars on the lifestyle programme lacked much of the Hollywood glamour the duchess attempted to project at her wedding. Meghan is said to have struggled to book some of her more famous friends for the show, which launched in March. Viewers had expected her to bring in the likes of Montecito neighbour Oprah, tennis superstar Serena Williams and filmmaker Tyler Perry - who is godfather to Princess Lilibet. The Duchess could instead only muster up Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, Delfina Figueras - socialite wife of Harry's polo-playing chum Nacho - and chef Roy Choi. The biggest stars to appear were Harry himself - restricted to a couple of minutes of the final episode in the eight-part series - and US Office actress, writer and producer Mindy Kaling, who appears in the second episode. A source told The Sun: 'They struggled to book guests. They had a real hard time, and it shows.' Hopes had been high for the series after Meghan's earlier creative projects featured a host of top-tier stars. Short-lived podcast Archetypes - which lasted 12 episodes across three months - featured Serena, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Superbad filmmaker Judd Apatow. And Harry & Meghan, the Sussexes' first Netflix project, featured Perry and Serena, the latter talking about attending the Sussexes' wedding. But Netflix executives are alleged to have been underwhelmed by the couple's output, from docuseries Heart of Invictus through to Harry's recent series Polo, which featured very little of the duke at all. While Serena Williams did not appear in With Love, Meghan, she did take to Instagram to give it a shout-out. She wrote: 'I'm so excited for you to check out WITH LOVE, MEGHAN, now streaming exclusively on Netflix! 'Join my wonderful friend @meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, as she opens up her world and shares her personal tips for the kitchen, garden, and so much more. 'It's a fun and inspiring series that reminds us all how easy it is to bring a little beauty into our everyday lives, even when we least expect it. Can't wait for you to experience it!' With Love, Meghan cracked Netflix's 'Top 10' in the UK after one day, reaching number six in the charts. However it has been critically panned, with just a 33 per cent approval rating from professional critics according to aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. In her Mail+ review, Amanda Platell branded it 'so awful it is almost compelling', while Hollywood bible Variety panned the series as 'a Montecito ego trip not worth taking'. The Guardian's Chitra Ramaswamy called it 'vacuous, over styled joylessness', while the Telegraph's Anita Singh noted glibly that the format appeared to consist of Meghan 'invit(ing) people to her pretend house and they tell her how amazing she is'. Reacting to the negative reception, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: 'This, after the Hearts of Invictus series failed to grab viewers' attention and the Polo series predictably didn't either, is make or break for Meghan.' He added: 'Who will watch apart from the fans? Perhaps a few stay-at-home mums who can afford the luxury which Meghan obviously worships. 'At the moment she and Harry can, too. However, after spending four hours watching a series as bad as this, one has to ask, for how much longer?'

NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky makes huge decision on ESPN future after dropping exit hint before the Super Bowl
NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky makes huge decision on ESPN future after dropping exit hint before the Super Bowl

Daily Mail​

timea day ago

  • Daily Mail​

NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky makes huge decision on ESPN future after dropping exit hint before the Super Bowl

Once a journeyman quarterback desperate for another chance in the NFL, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky suddenly became the subject of intense interest from rival networks before deciding to return to the Worldwide Leader, according to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand. The new deal hasn't been signed yet, but according to Marchand, Orlovsky will continue appearing on NFL Live as well as ESPN's Monday Night Football. That could come as a surprise to some after Orlovsky appeared to indicate in February that his time on the network could be winding down. 'I'm taking a break, won't be on TV for a long time,' Orlovsky told ESPN's First Take. 'Never know what the future holds but I'm taking a break... just want to say thank you. Appreciate you guys so much.' According to Marchand, Orlovsky did have talks with CBS about joining their Big Ten broadcasts, but he apparently declined and that network went with Charles Davis instead. The 41-year-old Orlovsky joined ESPN in 2018 after an unremarkable 12-year NFL career, most of which was spent serving as a backup. Daily Mail has reached out to ESPN spokespeople for comment. Unlike the gridiron, where he went 2-10 as an NFL starter, Orlovsky has enjoyed success on television. First he became a popular contributor on NFL Live alongside Laura Rutledge, Marcus Spears and Mina Kimes, and has since called some games with Chris Fowler and Louis Riddick Jr. as well. He did take some criticism in October for a Halloween segment on First Take in which he asked why 'black dudes smell better than white dudes.' The question led to a brief moment of silence on the set where Stephen A. Smith, co-host Molly Querim, and Jason McCourty all appeared stunned by the question. 'The amount of cringe in the room once Dan said this was palpable. This is what ESPN has become,' wrote one user on X. Another user on the social media site said, 'we as a society have moved past the need for Dan Orlovsky to be on television.' 'I pray for the day ESPN stops allowing clown s**t like this,' said another user.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store