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Darren Criss and Nicole Scherzinger Take Top Tonys
By Romen Basu Borsellino | 09 Jun, 2025

When Crazy Rich Asians ran the table at the 2023 Academy Awards, the next morning’s headlines told a similar story: Asian dominance. The same can be said of last night’s Tony Awards. 

Two of the top four prizes handed out at the 78th Annual Tony Awards, which celebrate achievements in live theater, went to Asian Americans.

Actor Darren Criss, a Filipino American who rose to fame for his role in NBC’s Glee, became the first Asian American to take home the statue for Lead Actor in a Musical. Criss won for his role in Maybe Happy Ending, a musical about a chance encounter between two robots. The show first premiered in Seoul, South Korea in 2016 before its adaptation for an American audience on Broadway in 2024. Maybe Happy Ending also nabbed the awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book of a Musical among others.

Criss beat out Korean American Daniel Dae Kim who was vying for the same distinction for his role in Yellowface. 

The award for Lead Actress in a musical went to Nicole Scherzinger for her role in the revival of Sunset Boulevard. Scherzinger, who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, is the daughter of a Filipino father and Native Hawaiian mother. Scherzinger’s acceptance speech paid homage to her Hawaiian ancestry, stating that she was so proud to represent  “My ohana, my family, all 5,000 of you. You know that I love you.”

But AAPI dominance did not end with the top four awards. Chinese American actor Francis Jue was recognized for his portrayal of a character who is targeted by the US government in the play Yellowface. Jue, who also starred in the 2007 off-broadway version of Yellowface, used his acceptance speech to shout out the Asian American community:

“I’m only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful Asian artists who came before me and never got the opportunity that I’ve had….For those who don’t feel seen, for those being targeted in authoritarian times, I see you…and I hope that encourages you to be brave and dream big."

"I’m only here because of the encouragement and inspiration of generations of wonderful Asian artists who came before me and never got the opportunity that I’ve had."

The 78th Annual Tony Awards for Best Actor and Actress in a musical as well as Best Featured Actor in a play all went to Asian Americans.

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