Academy Award winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) is returning to host the 2023 Tony Awards. DeBose hosted the 75th edition last summer.
“I was honored to serve as host last year and even more so to be asked back!” DeBose said. “So looking forward to celebrating this incredible season and the people who make the work happen. Here’s to adding some uptown flavor to the magic of the Tony Awards!”
On social media, she commented, “Let’s do it again!”
Before making history last year and becoming the first openly queer Afro-Latina to win an Oscar in an acting category, DeBose was a star on Broadway. She was nominated for her lead performance in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical in 2018. Her stage credits also include Les Misérables, Motown: The Musical, Bring It On and Hamilton.
“A force both on and off the stage, Ariana DeBose is unstoppable – an Award-winning actress, powerhouse vocalist and commanding dancer – she is the true definition of ‘triple-threat,’” Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, said in a joint statement. “We are thrilled to welcome back one of Broadway’s brightest lights to dazzle, inspire and illuminate this year’s Tony Awards!”
At last year’s event, DeBose opened the ceremony with a medley of songs, including “I’ve Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray, and “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin. That opening number was loved much more than the one she did at the BAFTA Awards earlier this year where she sang an original rap song she wrote that included the lyric “Angela Bassett did the thing.”
Tony Awards producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner said DeBose will sing and dance at this year’s ceremony. “We’re so thrilled she’s back to do the thing,” they said.
Nominations for the 76th Annual Tony Awards will be announced May 2, 2023. The ceremony will air live on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ on June 11, 2023.