Hell's Kitchen's Maleah Joi Moon & Kecia Lewis Win First Tonys, Give Inspiring Speeches at Tony Awards
Maleah Joi Moon and Kecia Lewis were two of the big winners at the 2024 Tony Awards on Sunday (June 16)!
The Hell’s Kitchen stars won the awards for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, respectively, for their roles in the new musical.
Maleah made her Broadway debut in the show, and both her and Kecia won their first ever Tonys!
While accepting their respective awards during the ceremony, they both gave inspiring speeches.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I would like to dedicated this award to my parents, Fabia and Steve. Dad, you’ve been working all your life. Mom, you came to America at 17 and you’ve been surviving ever since,” Maleah said. “Hell’s Kitchen is about a 17-year-old on the cusp of a dream. I can’t imagine how many dreams deferred, how many sacrifices you made to give me the life I have today. So tonight, all I hope is that you just get to celebrate, because this is for you, and we did this together. I love you more than words. Thank you.”
Kecia‘s speech was about perseverance and never giving up.
“I want to thank those people in my life who wouldn’t let me give up. Being in this business 40 years, I wanted to give up many times. Gabriela Diaz Gonzalez, Lisa Vidal, Daniel, and my longtime friends, Adrian Lennox and LaChanze,” Kecia shared. “U took a short break from show business and raised a son as a single parent while trying to build a career. This moment is the one I dreamed of for most of those 40 years. So, I say to everyone that can hear my voice, don’t give up!”
Watch Maleah and Kecia’s full Tony Awards acceptance speeches right here…
Check out the full 2024 Tony Awards winners list!
If you missed it, Maleah and Kecia also joined their castmates on stage for a performance, along with Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. Watch here!