UPDATE (June 4): Julianne Hough, who starred in the hit Broadway play POTUS, and Utkarsh Ambudkar, who made his Broadway debut in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s improvisational hip-hop show Freestyle Love Supreme, will co-host The Tony Awards: Act One. The live pre-show is set to stream on Pluto TV on Sunday, June 16 from 6:30-8 p.m. ET/3:30-5 p.m. PT.
Hough and Ambudkar, best known to TV viewers for their work on Dancing With the Stars and Ghosts, respectively, will kick off Broadway’s biggest night with the presentation of the first round of Tony Awards during the telecast. Viewers can access The Tony Awards: Act One without charge on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “ET” channel.
The Tony Awards are presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing and have been broadcast on CBS since 1978. The show is produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are showrunners and executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment, and Weiss will serve as director. Jack Sussman is also an executive producer.
PREVIOUSLY (March 27): Ariana DeBose just can’t stop doing the thing! The Academy Award-winning actress, dancer and singer is set to return to host the upcoming 77th Annual Tony Awards on June 16.
“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.”
DeBose — who picked up a Tony nod for her performance in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical back in 2018 — hosted the Tonys in 2022 and 2023. Known for bring her triple-threat chops to her hosting gigs, the West Side Story actress has made quite the name for herself as an awards show emcee and presenter. At last year’s BAFTA Awards ceremony, DeBose opened the show with an original rap honoring the night’s women nominees, resulting in a hilarious viral moment that landed Angela Bassett a new catchprase.
The 2024 Tony Awards will air live from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City on CBS from 8 to 11 p.m. ET. The show will also stream on Paramount+ in the U.S., and will be available on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the ceremony airs. DeBose is also set to produce and choreograph this year’s opening number.
CBS is also teaming up with Pluto TV to mount The Tony Awards: Act One, a pre-show featuring exclusive live content leading into this year’s ceremonies. The first round of awards will be presented on Pluto TV, which is accessible via smart TV, mobile app, streaming devices, or the service’s website. More details about Act One — including information regarding the hosts — will be available in the coming weeks.
The third time will almost certainly be a charm for DeBose. She picked up a Primetime Emmy nod for outstanding variety special (live) thanks to her work on the 76th Annual Tony Awards. Recently, DeBose has been toiling away on the film side of the industry. In November, she starred in Wish, a Disney animated musical fantasy film for which she recorded the original song “This Wish,” which earned a Critic’s Choice Award nomination for best song. DeBose then kicked off 2024 with a turn in the Dua Lipa-starring Argylle, and she is also set to appear in Kraven the Hunter, which is currently slated to hit theaters Aug. 3.
Nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards will be announced April 30.
Additional reporting by Paul Grein