Ariana DeBose to Host the Tonys — With a Script This Time

Ariana DeBose is coming back as the host of the 2024 Tony Awards for the third consecutive time, and, this round, she’ll be able to pack away her improv skills. Last year, DeBose also hosted, but it was during the WGA strike, so the Oscar winner had to go scriptless. Luckily, she’s a professional dancer, so the opening number was a wordless ode to musical-theater dance, but still, this is a girl who thrives on some words, perhaps a rap. Then she had the terrible onus of introducing the Tonys on live TV without a script. This ceremony should go a little smoother for her. “I couldn’t pass up the chance to host the Tonys one more time at Lincoln Center,” DeBose said in a statement. “I’m excited to collaborate with the team to create an incredible celebration of this season’s achievements on Broadway for our community and for everyone at home.” Yeah, that’s fair, but we all know the real reason to host three Tonys in a row: DeBose has ensured her place in gay history for years.

The 77th Tony Awards will be held on June 16 at Lincoln Center and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET. The Tony Awards Act One (the preshow they refuse to just call the Tony Awards Preshow) will be broadcast on Pluto TV. Nominations are out April 30. We’re not predicting anything yet, but if we don’t get to see the DeBose sing about the Water for Elephants elephant puppets, someone in that writers’ room is not doing their job.