Ariana DeBose, tonight’s host for the Tony Awards for the third time, wants to be in the audience next time.
“I am really craving being back on stage, in a larger way than simply hosting the Tonys,” she said to People. “And for that reason, this will probably be one of the last times I host for a while, so someone else can hold the ropes.”
The magic – and the nerves – haven’t gone out of hosting the show.
“Oh, every year I want to throw up,” the Oscar-winning actress said. “I’m not going to lie. I have a trash can waiting in the wings. I never in a million years thought I’d host the Tony Awards. That was not in any sort of plan that I saw for myself. And last year I was so nervous. I paced for a solid 30 minutes by myself. I’ve never done that in the history of my performing career.”
As for her successor, “I’ll leave them my bucket,” she jokes.
DeBose takes the mission of the awards seriously.
“The Tony Awards is a very important moment for the Broadway community, and a night that has real economic impact on how this industry functions. So it feels like a sacred responsibility to be there to show what they have to offer, and something I don’t take lightly,” she said.
“There’s such a vast variety of talent and creativity on display on these stages,” she adds. “There’s truly no place like Broadway. And I’m grateful that I have even a fraction of the platform that I hold to try and be a helpful entity.”
The 2024 Tony Awards airs Sunday, June 16, on CBS and Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Select awards will be handed out in a pre-show viewers can stream that beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Pluto TV.
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