Two actors made Tony Award history on Sunday, June 11, at the 76th annual ceremony at the United Palace Theatre in New York City. Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee became the first and second out nonbinary actors to win a Tony Award.
The Tonys, like most major awards shows, including the Oscars, Golden Globes, and the Emmys, divides its acting categories by gender (actor and actress). Both Newell and Ghee chose to compete in the actor category. Before the ceremony, the pair had already made history as the first-ever nonbinary nominees.
First, Newell made history as the first out nonbinary person to win a Tony when they won for best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical for their role as Lulu in the original Broadway musical Shucked. Newell wore a shimmering gold draped off-the-shoulder gown with a pendant necklace, and wore their hair down and curly.
“I have wanted this my entire life, and I thank each and every one of you in this room right now,” the 30-year-old, who played Wade on Glee, said in their moving acceptance speech, per People. They ended their speech with a message for anyone who feels discouraged: “And to anyone that thinks that they can’t do it, I am going to look you dead in your face [and say] that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Later that night, Some Like It Hot star J. Harrison Ghee, 33, won the Tony for best performance by a leading actor in a musical, and in doing so became the second out nonbinary person to win a Tony, and the first nonbinary winner in the category. Ghee wore a periwinkle jumpsuit with matching gloves and a jacket featuring a long train, which they paired with layers of silver choker necklaces and short hair styled to the gods.
