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Ariana DeBose on Hosting the 75th Annual Tony Awards
May 17, 2024
BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge sat down with Ariana DeBose to discuss hosting the 75th Annual Tony Awards this Sunday, June 12. DeBose discussed the rehearsal process for the ceremony, what audiences can expect from the performances, why she's 'terrified' to host, and more.
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Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World. The 75th Annual Tony Awards will take place this
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Sunday evening, June 12th at Radio City Music Hall, hosted by one of Broadway's favorites
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Academy Award winner, Ariana DeBose. And I caught up with Ariana just days before the big event
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Ariana, I love you. I can't believe you're doing this. How excited are you
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Oh my God, I am totally excited, Richie. I love you and I can't believe I'm doing this
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I am excited and scared. Oh, you can't be. This is like
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this is your wheelhouse. When you were announced for this, I was like, yes, this is what we need
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I'm excited. I mean, I appreciate that sentiment, especially coming from you, my friend
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I just can't believe my good fortune, like what a privilege it is to come back right now. You know
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like we're, this is the first time we're back at Radio City and it's been a really challenging
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year. So I'm stoked to be able to try and, you know, bring the joy and truly celebrate all of us
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not just, of course, the nominees, but all of us. There's so much to be grateful and thankful for
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Okay. So when you got the call saying, yes, you're going to be our host this year
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what went through your mind? This has got to be like one of the biggest surreal moments, right? Totally. It was actually before the Oscars. They asked before the Oscars. So this has been
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a minute in the making called one of the hardest secrets to like keep in my spirit
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because I was so stoked about it. That and like not telling people I was cast as Anita
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That was hard. But I just, I was like, yes, we have to, I have to do this. And then I didn't
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think about what it was going to entail until way after the fact. And I can tell you, hosting
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is hard. And you, and of course, because I feel like I have skin in the game, you know, like
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Broadway is where I began my career in the ensemble, you know, it's so, that's so crazy
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to now be able to turn around and, and celebrate this moment, you know, and it's, it's so much
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bigger than me. Like, you know what I mean? I am the smallest portion of this evening
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This evening is about all of us. And I just think it's really rad that they even wanted me to do
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this. And I, you know, we're going full out as, as they say
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So what's the week been like so far? I mean, we're just a few days away
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from the Tony's. What's it been like being at Radio City, you know, working on that stage
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having all the shows come in around you and watch them make their magic in rehearsal
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It's really special. It really, it's, it's, it's sort of singular, you know, I have a front row
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seat to see how the magic happens, to see how the sausage gets made. And what I will say is I don't
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think people fully realize just how many people are involved in making the Tony Awards happen
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And the amount of infrastructure there is, the amount of organization that has to happen
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in a very short time, you know, so I'm, I'm so grateful to everyone who's come to the table to
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make this such a special show. And I can tell you the performances are going to be beautiful
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The, the moments that we have planned are, I think are going to be both heartfelt and
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hopefully funny because like, you know, you know me, I'll fall on my face to try and make somebody
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laugh. But we'll see. I will let the audience be my judge because they will tell you if you're
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funny or not. You're going to be funny, my love, believe me, you're going to be funny
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What I was going to ask you, do you remember the first time you watched the Tony Awards
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and what that meant to you? Like, was, was it always a dream, like, to do theater and to come
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to New York and perform here? You know, I've spoken about this a little bit, but I, when I was
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a kid, I'll be honest, I watched more of the Oscars, you know, I watched more of just because
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they were a little more mainstream and I came to theater later in my high school career. And so
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I don't, gosh, I do remember seeing the ragtime performance and that really got me because I was
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like, oh my God, that woman's name is Audra McDonald and that is Brian Stokes Mitchell
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It was just glorious and wonderful. And I don't know, I, the Tonys was sort of like a first
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exposure. And then once I actually got here and became a part of the community, I will say that
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is when I fully realized what the Tony Awards means and to not only our community, but the
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symbol that they provide to so many people in the world who may not be working on Broadway
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but who love theater and where theater is the place that they go for refuge and for inspiration
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and for healing, to be perfectly frank. So it's, I don't know. I just think
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my experiences keep leading me back here for a reason. And I'm really honored to do this
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Lord, I'm terrified. Okay. Well, I guess, I guess everybody should be a little bit, everybody said you should have
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nerves before you go on stage or whatever, but it's going to be so glorious there
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Okay. Broadway debuts are really important. I mean, we were shut down for two years. A lot
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of people were supposed to make their Broadway debuts. It didn't happen. And now they have
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the marquees are lit again, tourists are back time. The theater district is packed with people
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going to the theater. Do you remember your Broadway debut and how magical that night was
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for you? Oh my gosh. Of course I do. I remember it kind of like it was yesterday. I was
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you know, along with, I believe it was what, 32 of my colleagues in bringing on the musical
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At the time it was a record. I don't, I don't believe we hold the record anymore
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And that's okay. That's good. But I will never forget it. Our big finale number was really
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across the line and we stepped back over that white cheer line and I looked out into the lights
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and I just bawled because I was standing on a stage and I was a working actor and there's nothing
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like it, you know, especially in invited dress. I think invited dress might be even more special
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than your actual opening night because your, your peers and your community get to come celebrate
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with you, you know, but I just think there's nothing like it. God, if baby Ariana could talk
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to this one right now and the things I'd tell her. Would you like to come back to Broadway? Once you
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get, like Chita always said, once you have that in your muscle memory, the eight shows a week
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they just stay there and come back. I agree. I agree with her. Granted, I don't think there's
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much I disagree with Chita on. So let's just say that. Of course, of course, I, you know, I'm pulling
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an Aaron Burr. I'm going to wait for it. I'm going to wait for the right one. But I, there's so many
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exciting things that are happening on Broadway, so many exciting things in development. But I also
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realized, you know, I think I now went, sit in a space where I have an abundance of opportunity
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that which I'm very grateful for. But I'm also very well aware that there are some parts you get
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offered that like, well, I could do this and yes, it would be fabulous. Why don't we go look for a
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newcomer and give them opportunity? Because I don't need to do, I could do this, but there's, let's go
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let's go find that new person and give them a chance. You know, that's how we make the tables
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longer. Yep. Oh, I love that. Making the tables longer. Listen, I could talk to you forever. We
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have missed you. I have missed you, just so you know. I've missed you, my friend, truly
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We will see you Sunday night at Radio City for the Tonys
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