The 78th Annual Tony Awards delivered a Hamilton anniversary reunion, standout performances and a few awkward beats—but there was no single, objectively established “worst” moment. Here are the evening’s highlights and mishaps, separating reported events from critics’ opinions.
The ceremony took place at Radio City Music Hall on June 8, 2025, with Cynthia Erivo as host. The official announcement named CBS and Paramount+ as the event’s broadcasters; that describes the announced arrangement for the 2025 ceremony, not where it can be watched now.
What were the best moments at the 2025 Tony Awards?
These standouts are drawn from the Associated Press’s event coverage and TIME’s recap. “Best” is an editorial judgment, not a measured audience ranking.
The original Hamilton cast reunited for the show’s 10th Broadway anniversary
The original cast performed a medley of songs from Hamilton, one of the ceremony’s headline moments. TIME also highlighted the reunion. The AP reported a regrettable audience-side twist: people who had stepped into the bar or lobby were held outside the auditorium until the next commercial break, missing the performance.
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Audra McDonald brought the room to quiet with “Rose’s Turn”
McDonald performed “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy. The AP described the audience falling quiet, including during the song’s softer passages; TIME singled out her performance as a standout. Those accounts describe the scene and critics’ response, not audience ratings.
Cynthia Erivo and Sara Bareilles performed “Tomorrow” in the In Memoriam
The two performers sang “Tomorrow” from Annie in the In Memoriam segment, which ended with a photograph of Gavin Creel, according to the AP. TIME described the tribute as moving.
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Cole Escola won for Oh, Mary!
Escola won the Tony for leading actor in a play. The AP reported that Escola became the first nonbinary actor to win in that category; TIME noted the audience reaction and Escola’s energetic walk to the stage.
Francis Jue shared a story about his tuxedo
TIME reported that Jue wore a tuxedo handed down by the late actor Alvin Ing. Jue said Ing had wanted him to wear it when accepting a Tony.
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What went wrong at the 2025 Tonys?
The clearest “oops” in the coverage was not a technical breakdown. It was the Hamilton reunion missed by audience members who left the auditorium and could not return until the next commercial break. That was an audience-side misstep, not a staging error.
Kara Young was played off during her acceptance speech
TIME reported that Young, who won for Purpose, was the first winner played off for a long acceptance speech. It was an awkward broadcast beat; the incident alone does not establish that her speech was objectively too long.
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One performance choice divided at least one critic
TIME’s writer suggested that the Pirates! The Penzance Musical segment might not win over people who dislike musicals. That is one critic’s reaction, not evidence of broad audience disagreement.
The AP and TIME coverage cited here does not establish a major technical failure or a comprehensive consensus about the ceremony’s worst moment. Any definitive ranking would overstate what those accounts show.
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What happened during the Hamilton reunion—and what did people miss?
The original cast’s medley marked the musical’s 10th anniversary on Broadway. According to the AP, audience members who had gone to the bar or lobby were kept from re-entering until the next commercial break, so they missed the performance in the room.
The moment also fit Erivo’s remarks about Broadway as a welcoming home. The AP reported her saying, “there’s no place like home. And Broadway has always been mine.”
How did the ceremony’s awards shape the night?
The official Tony Awards winners database lists Maybe Happy Ending as Best Musical, Purpose as Best Play, Eureka Day as Best Revival of a Play and Sunset Blvd. as Best Revival of a Musical. The acting winners in the leading categories were Cole Escola, Sarah Snook, Darren Criss and Nicole Scherzinger, respectively. The AP reported that Maybe Happy Ending won six awards overall.
The AP also reported that Erivo cited a $1.9 billion gross for Broadway’s 2024–25 season during her opening comments. That is the figure as reported by AP, not an independently verified accounting here.
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After Maybe Happy Ending won Best Musical and audience members began to disperse, Erivo started singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” with rewritten lyrics, the AP reported. The moment drew the audience back into cheering—a lively ending after the ceremony’s top award.
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