Third time’s the charm: Ariana DeBose returning as Tony Awards host
She’s back, back, back again! Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose will once again return to host the 77th Annual Tony Awards live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 16. This marks her third consecutive year emceeing Broadway’s biggest night.
In addition to working the crowd, DeBose will also serve as a producer and choreograph the show’s opening number. The actress has always opened the show with a bang (including a stunning wordless dance piece at the 76th Annual ceremony, which took place during the 2023 writer’s strike). But this will mark the first time she has crafted a dance number herself for the telecast. DeBose was nominated for an Emmy for hosting the 75th Annual Tony Awards ceremony, in the Outstanding Variety Special (Live) category. She could compete in that race again, but it looks like the 2024 telecast may also find the triple-threat performer eligible for the Emmy’s choreography category.
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The 2024 telecast will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ (streamed live for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs). Additionally, “The Tony Awards: Act One” will once again be presented on CBS and Pluto TV. This special will feature the presentation of several Tony Awards categories and performances, in a lead up to the main telecast. Hosts for “Act One” will be announced soon.
DeBose will join a small, elite club with this third hosting gig. The other three-time hosts include James Sauter (1949-50, ‘54), Bud Collyer (1957-59), Julie Andrews (1970, ‘84, ‘91), and Rosie O’Donnell (1997-98, ‘00). This group sits just under four-time Tony hosts Robert Preston (1962, ‘67, ‘74, ‘84), Nathan Lane (1995-96, ‘00-01), Hugh Jackman (2003-06, ‘14), and Neil Patrick Harris (2009, ‘11-13).
Angela Lansbury reigns above them all as the only person to ever host the ceremony five times (1968, ‘71, ‘87-89) DeBose certainly has enough time left in her career to catch up to Lansbury should she choose.
DeBose won the Academy Award for playing Anita in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” That role also earned her the BAFTA, Critics Choice, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards. The actress earned a Tony nomination for playing disco icon Donna Summer in “Summer.”
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