Alex Newell, J. Harrison Ghee Make History at 76th Tony Awards

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The 2023 Tony Awards was a night to remember as history was made!

Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee became the first two openly nonbinary performers to win Tony Awards last night. Newell won the Tony Award for best performance in a featured role in a musical for their role as Lulu in the 2022 musical comedy “Shucked”.

Ghee won the Tony Award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for their role as Jerry/Daphne in the remake of the a musical based on the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe, “Some Like It Hot”.

Newell gave an incredible acceptance speech, asking broadway to do just that, accept them.

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“Thank you for seeing me, Broadway.” Newell said. “I should not be up here, as a queer, non-binary, fat, Black little baby from Massachusetts. To anyone who thinks they can’t do it… you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Ghee also had a heartfelt acceptance speech. Articulating to the crowd that their mom’s nursing was a pivotal piece for them to understand how to live, love, and learn that their gifts were to be used to advance others in their coming of age.

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“My mother raised me to understand that my gifts that God gave me were not about me. To use them to be effective in the world, to help somebody else’s journey,” Ghee said during their acceptance speech. “So thank you for teaching me how to live, how to love, how to give. For every trans, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming human who ever was told you couldn’t be, you couldn’t be seen, this is for you.”

The 76th Annual Tony Awards was held at the United Palace theater in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, hosted by Ariana DeBose. For full list of award winners [CLICK HERE]