It looks like the 2022 Tony Awards has just found its host for this year’s annual event and it’s none other than Tony and Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose!
The announcement was made on Wednesday per a press release sent to The Root and will see the West Side Story star reuniting with her Broadway roots. This news comes just one week after Broadway stars Adrienne Warren and Joshua Henry were announced as nominee presenters, and nearly two weeks after the Tony Awards productions team announced the adoption of a new “no violence policy” at this year’s event.
In a statement sharing the news, DeBose said: “I’m coming home! I’m so honored to celebrate 75 years of excellence in theatre, but more importantly every member of this community who poured themselves into making sure the lights of Broadway have the opportunity to shine brightly once again! This is a dream come true, and I’m excited to see you all on June 12th.”
Added President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing Heather Hitchens and The Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin in a joint statement:
“The 75th Tony Awards celebration is a big moment for all of us in the theatre community, and in Ariana we have found the perfect host to lead this celebration. We can’t wait to see Ariana take the stage on June 12th and dazzle, inspire, and entertain us.”
Jack Sussman, CBS Executive Vice President Specials, Music, Live Event and Alternative Programming, echoed similar statements: “We are thrilled to have Ariana DeBose, who has captivated audiences with her inspirational roles on stage and in film and television, host this year’s Tony Awards. After the last challenging two years there is no one better to bring the theater community together on this important night honoring the best of Broadway, and share the joys of live performing once again than this extraordinarily talented artist.”
DeBose recently made history at this year’s Academy Awards for being the first openly queer, Afro-Latina to take home the award for Best Supporting Actress.
The 75th Annual Tony Awards goes down live from Radio City Music Hall, on Sunday, June 12 at 8p.m. ET. The four-hour television event will broadcast live from coast to coast on CBS and streaming live and on demand on Paramount+. Tickets are limited so for more information on how to snag yours, head on over to tonyawards.com.