2023 Tony Awards: Host, Stars, How To Watch and More

The 76th Tony Awards ceremony is all about drama, and we’re not just talking about the Broadway performances being honored during a three-hour show that starts June 11 at 8 p.m. on CBS.  

The Awards are named for actress, director and producer, Antoinette Perry, who led the American Theatre Wing from 1940 to 1946. Her most famous work was directing the play Harvey, which later was turned into a Jimmy Stewart movie. 

This year’s Tony Awards started making headlines long before the red carpet was primped. The Writers Guild of America is on strike, which throws a wrench into the ceremony because it is a scripted event. The script was complete when the WGA went on strike on May 2 — the same day the Tony Award nominees were announced. Though the words were ready, the WGA asked producers to put on an unscripted show in deference to the strike. While the WGA reached a deal with producers to allow the event to continue, the WGA asked members not to attend the event in New York City. The WGA also asked nominated members to pre-record acceptance speeches or have a non-union member accept the award. 

This year’s nominees include popular names, Sara Bareilles (Into the Woods), Josh Groban (Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) and Ben Platt (Parade), as well as veteran choreographer, Susan Stroman (New York, New York). J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot) and Alex Newell (Shucked) became the first two non-binary nominees for performances in the same year. Notably, non-binary performer, Justin David Sullivan (& Juliet), asked to be excluded from consideration because the Tony Awards only have gendered categories. 

Anything could happen this year. It’s an unscripted show. There’s tension. There’s intrigue. What can you expect beyond the drama? Singing, dancing and spectacle only Broadway can deliver. 

How to Watch the Tony Awards on DIRECTV

Tune into the 76th annual Tony Awards on CBS on June 11 at 8 p.m.

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Catch the Tony Awards and all your favorite award shows when you have DIRECTV – with or without the dish. 

The Tony Awards Host — Ariana DeBose

DeBose will reprise her role as host of the awards from last year. DeBose is no stranger to the stage, with a Tony nomination for her work in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. The 32-year-old won an Oscar for her role as Anita in West Side Story in 2021. Her other Broadway credits include Hamilton, A Bronx Tale and Pippin.

Biggest Star — Jessica Chastain

As with anything at an awards show, the title of “biggest star” is debatable. Chastain is undoubtedly in the conversation, fresh off winning an Oscar for her role in 2022’s The Eyes of Tammy Faye. She also won a Golden Globe for her 2013 role in Zero Dark Thirty.

Chastain was nominated for a Tony for her star turn in A Doll’s House. The Sacramento native spends most of the play seated in a chair, including during the famous Tarantella dance scene. She told Variety that the decision to stay mostly seated was to echo the constrictions her character faced as a wife and a mother.

‘Some Like It Hot’ Stays Hot

Based on the number of nominees, this year’s top play was the musical version of Some Like It Hot, the 1959 film featuring Marilyn Monroe. The play scored 13 nominations to lead all Broadway shows. Ain’t No Mo‘ and Leopoldstadt both had six nominations, tying for the most this year by a play. KPOP, a musical about Korean pop music, had 24 newcomers to Broadway in its production, the most of any show this past season.

In Memoriam

The Tony Awards will honor a pair of legends who made it big in nearly every show business way. Angela Lansbury, who died last October, made her name as a host of the Tony Awards, taking the lead on five telecasts. Lansbury had one of the most-awarded careers in show business history, with one Oscar, six Tony Awards and six Golden Globes. The longtime Murder She Wrote star was also nominated a stunning 18 times for an Emmy Award and once for a Grammy. 

And, of course, the Tony Awards will remember Harry Belafonte, who died in April. He also had a varied show business career, winning three Grammy Awards, an Emmy and a Tony. He won a lifetime achievement Oscar statuette, giving him all major acting awards in the Western Hemisphere. Belafonte was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a Kennedy Center honor in 1989.

Rare Honors

Among performers, only four have won all four major show business awards: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Helen Hayes and Rita Moreno were the first to complete the grand slam in 1977. Hayes’ last award was a Grammy, which she earned for her spoken word performance of Great American Documents. Moreno completed the slam with an Emmy for a guest appearance on The Muppet Show in 1977, and she won again in 1978 for an appearance on The Rockford Files.

Setting Records

The all-time record-holder for most Tony Awards for performances is Audra McDonald, who locked down six different awards in four different categories. Lansbury won five competitive awards and received a lifetime achievement Tony. Julie Harris also won five awards and a lifetime achievement nod.

Picking Favorites

Did you have some favorite Broadway shows from the past season? You can bet on your instincts. 

Josh Groban is a 4-1 bet to win a cluttered best actor category, according to some betting sites. Justin Cooley is a 7-2 favorite for singing in the musical Kimberly Akimbo. And Jodie Comer (Prima Facie) is a 49-20 favorite in the best actress in a play category, just ahead of Chastain’s 3-1 odds. 

But there are no dead-certain picks at the Tony Awards, except this: There will be singing, dancing and … flubbed lines. There’s still that writers’ strike to contend with, after all.

Full List of Tony Awards Nominees

Settle in for a night at the Tony Awards when you have DIRECTV.