Lea Michele and Kristin Chenoweth to Appear at 2026 Tony Awards After Nomination Snubs
Lea Michele and Kristin Chenoweth to Appear at 2026 Tony Awards After Nomination Snubs
Dave QuinnThu, June 4, 2026 at 8:53 PM UTC
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Lea Michele and Kristin ChenowethCredit: JP Yim/Getty for TheWrap; Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty
Key Takeaways
Lea Michele will perform in the star-studded opening number featuring over 170 Broadway stars and host Pink
Kristin Chenoweth joins a lineup of presenters including Ariana DeBose, Neil Patrick Harris, Megan Thee Stallion and more
The ceremony will feature tributes to iconic musicals like Rent, Chicago and The Book of Mormon with special performances
Lea Michele and Kristin Chenoweth may not be Tony Award nominees this year, but they'll still take the stage at Broadway's biggest night.
The Tony Awards have revealed the star-studded list of performers and presenters for the 79th annual ceremony on Sunday, June 7, and Michele and Chenoweth are among stars who are slated to participate.
Both actresses were notably absent from this year's list of Tony Award nominees. Michele had been considered a contender for her performance in Chess, while Chenoweth earned strong reviews for her turn in The Queen of Versailles.
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Pink at the premiere of 'All of You' on Sept. 17, 2025Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Michele will perform as part of this year's opening number, which will feature over 170 Broadway stars — many cast members from this year's biggest musicals — singing along with host Pink.
The opening song will be written by EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman) and Oscar and Grammy winner Mark Sonnenblick (KPop Demon Hunters). Sarah O'Gleby is choreographing the number, while Tim Murray and Isaac Josephthal are serving as creative consultants.
Chenoweth, meanwhile, is on the list of presenters alongside Adrien Brody, Annette Bening, Ariana DeBose, Ben Platt, Bernadette Peters, Billy Crystal, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Carrie Coon, Cole Escola, Darren Criss, Jack O'Brien, Jeremy Pope, John Leguizamo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kara Young, Kelli O'Hara, Law Roach, Lena Waithe, Lily Rabe, Maya Rudolph, Megan Thee Stallion, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicole Scherzinger, Patrick Wilson, Paul Rudd, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Sarah Paulson and Sting.
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The cast of 'Titanique' on BroadwayCredit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Presented by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, the Tony Awards are considered the most prestigious honors in theater, recognizing excellence across acting, directing, design and more. It's also the "T" in "EGOT" alongside the Emmys (television), the Grammys (music) and the Oscars (film).
The show is known for being a showcase for top theatrical talent in the creative arts.
Many of the performances typically include the shows up for Best Musical and Best Musical Revival, and this year is no different. The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show will all debut selections from their productions.
The cast of 'CATS: The Jellicle Ball' on BroadwayCredit: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
The ceremony will also feature tributes to milestone musical anniversaries for The Book of Mormon, Rent, Chicago and A Chorus Line.
In honor of its 15th anniversary on Broadway, the original cast of The Book of Mormon — including Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O'Malley and Nikki M. James — will reunite onstage for a number. The performance will be introduced by Tony Award winners Trey Parker, Matt Stone and Robert Lopez.
Chicago will celebrate 30 years on Broadway with a starry salute featuring Pink, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Alex Newell, Adrienne Warren, Cedric The Entertainer, Julianne Hough, Whitney Leavitt, Dylan Mulvaney and Queen Latifah (the latter who earned an Academy Award nomination for her role as Matron Mama Morton in the film adaptation).
Rachel Zegler — who is returning to Broadway next season in Evita — will sing a number for the 50th anniversary of A Chorus Line, while Leslie Odom Jr. will remember Broadway artists lost over the past year with a rendition of "Without You" from Rent in recognition of that groundbreaking musical's 30th anniversary.
The 79th annual Tony Awards will air live from New York City's Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7 (beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) on CBS and stream on Paramount+. Before the broadcast, Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess will host the pre-show, The Tony Awards: Act One, streaming live on Pluto TV.
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