Ariana DeBose is continuing to slay as she will be hosting the Tony Awards 2023 this summer.
The West Side Story star, who went viral for her iconic rap at this year’s Baftas, will be helming the ceremony once again, taking to the stage in New York on June 11.
‘I was honored to serve as host last year and even more so to be asked back,’ the 32-year-old said in a statement via Deadline.
‘So looking forward to celebrating this incredible season and the people who make the work happen. Here’s to adding some uptown flavor to the magic of the Tony Awards.’
It has been confirmed that the Oscar-winner will ‘host, dance and sing’ at the event, with Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner – executive producers of White Cherry Entertainment – throwing a cheeky mention to her rap, enthusing: ‘We’re so thrilled she’s back to do the thing.’
While Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, added that they were ‘thrilled to welcome back one of Broadway’s brightest lights to dazzle, inspire and illuminate this year’s Tony Awards’.
Nominations will be announced on May 2, ahead of the bash on June 11 – which is being held at United Palace and airing live on CBS and Paramount+.
This isn’t the first time that Ariana has appeared at the Tony Awards, as she hosted last year’s ceremony, held in New York.
The actress caused a huge stir on social media with one of her most recent stints at an awards bash, performing the opening number at the Baftas in February.
She was met with criticism online after the rap, in which she named every female nominee who was up for a trophy and declared that ‘Angela Bassett did the thing’.
Despite backlash from viewers, she insisted that she massively enjoyed her time on stage at the British fixture.
In a chat with Zoe Ball on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, where the host complimented the scenes, she joked: ‘You know what, you might be one of the few. I’ll take it, because you’re my people.’
‘[Bafta bosses] actually called me, believe it or not but that was the assignment. Like, “Come celebrate women,” and I was like: “Absolutely!”
‘We did that and it was fun. Not going to lie, I had a blast.’
‘[It was] so awesome, and then I spent the rest of the night, you know, cutting a rug,’ she added. ‘It was fabulous. I had a great time.’
Fingers crossed Ariana gives us another epic performance in June!
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First appear at Ariana De Bose continues to do the thing as she’s named host of Tony Awards 2023
