Celebrity-filled 2025 Tony Award nominations have been announced
Updated May 2, 2025, 12:16 PM CDT
The feisty Sarah Paulson and Wendell Pierce dropped the bombshell on us Thursday morning - the nominations for the 78th Annual Tony Awards are here! Check out the list below.
Cynthia Erivo from the hit Wicked is hosting this year's Tony Awards on June 8th at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
This year's Tony Awards is a breath of fresh air without a single show sweeping all the nominations - and we're stoked about that. It was a phenomenal season reminiscent of a legendary era. Of course, there were some celebrities: the nominees include movie and TV stars like George Clooney, Nicole Scherzinger, Sadie Sink, Sarah Snook, Mia Farrow, and Broadway vets such as Audra McDonald, James Monroe Iglehart, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Jeremy Jordan. That's just the tip of the iceberg (oh, and don't forget about Broadway stars like Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr., Kieran Culkin, and Nick Jonas who didn't make the list).
But it wasn't a great season because of famous faces. It was great because the shows are bloody brilliant!
And that's why three shows share the most nominations this year - Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, and Maybe Happy Ending, each racking up a staggering 10 nominations, including best musical. Oh, these productions are terrific, but there's a rich tapestry of pure gold on display here! Operation Mincemeat, nominated for best musical, was a fizzy mix of heartstrings and laugh-out-loud moments - hands down, my favorite show of the year. And another musical on the list, Dead Outlaw, boasts unique tunes that will lodge themselves in your grey matter!
And let's not forget about the other productions that earned nominations for categories other than best musical - BOOP!, SMASH, and Real Women Have Curves, to name a few. These shows brought the warmth, glamour, and sheer joy that radiated from every corner of the stage.
Now let's shift gears to the plays. Plays can sometimes fade into the background during Tony season, but this year, they stole the spotlight. Notable plays include The Picture of Dorian Gray with six nominations (yes, not for best play), Purpose - a sharp, humorous look at how racism warps one American family by the talented Tony-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (kudos to him!), and the thrilling, jaw-dropping conclusion of John Proctor is the Villain. Oh, Mary!, on the other hand, is a filthy, irreverent farce.
So, if you've got the chance, hit up Broadway this year - any show on the list, whether it's nominated for a Tony or not! This is the exceptionally rare season where no matter what you choose, you're guaranteed to feel the urge to cry, dance, or laugh your head off. Broadway isn't just back - this year, it's pushing the envelope. Here's the list:
2025 Tony Nominations
Best Musical- Buena Vista Social Club- Dead Outlaw- Death Becomes Her- Maybe Happy Ending- Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Play- English- The Hills of California- John Proctor is the Villain- Oh, Mary!- Purpose
Best Revival of a Play- Eureka Day- Romeo + Juliet- Thornton Wilder's Our Town- Yellow Face
Best Revival of a Musical- Floyd Collins- Gypsy- Pirates! The Penzance Musical- Sunset Blvd.
Good luck, and happy watching!
Copyright 2025 NPR
Enrichment Data:- Highlighted Productions: Buena Vista Social Club, Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending, Dead Outlaw, The Hills of California, and Operation Mincemeat are the most nominated productions in various categories- The full band of Buena Vista Social Club received a Special Tony Award in addition to their nominations- Notably, Denzel Washington, Robert Downey Jr., Kieran Culkin, and Nick Jonas were among Broadway stars who didn't receive nominations this year
- Tony, a renowned Broadway star, expressed his excitement about the upcoming awards ceremony on social media, praising the diversity of shows and celebrities involved in pop-culture this year.
- On Thursday, May 2, 2025, Tony Awards announcer Sarah Paulson revealed that Tony nominees include film and television stars like George Clooney, who is known for his roles in sci-fi and fantasy movies.
- In an interview with a press outlet, Tony Boseman, a critically acclaimed trombonist, talked about his experience playing in the band for the hit musical Buena Vista Social Club - one of the most nominated shows of the 78th Annual Tony Awards.
- On June 8th, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall, entertainment industry icons such as James Monroe Iglehart and Audra McDonald will be present to honor the nominees of the Tony Awards, including the best play nominee, The Hills of California, which explores themes reminiscent of classic Western films.
- Pop-culture enthusiasts have been enthusiastically discussing the snubs of Broadway stars like Tony-winning actor Denzel Washington from this year's Tony Awards, which will take place on June 8th and feature categories such as best musical, celebrating productions like Maybe Happy Ending, a romance-focused show with a unique blend of music.
