Pop Star Pink to Host the 2026 Tony Awards, Promising Stunts and Broadway Homage

Grammy-winning singer Alecia Moore, known professionally as Pink, will host the 79th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 7, 2026. The ceremony will be staged at Radio City Music Hall in New York and broadcast live on CBS with a simultaneous stream on Paramount+. Pink’s appointment follows the producers’ stated goal of attracting a broader audience to Broadway’s premier awards show.

USA Today

Pink grew up attending productions such as *Phantom of the Opera*, *Les Misérables* and *La Cage aux Folles* with her mother, an ER nurse who saved money for family theater outings. She later cited the film *Annie* and the stage version of *Fiddler on the Roof* as early gateways to musical theatre. Her daughter Willow Sage Hart, 15, is an aspiring performer who has attended performing-arts school in New York and hopes to study theatre at Carnegie Mellon or the University of Michigan. Pink sought Willow’s permission before accepting the hosting role, noting that “if you don’t want me to do this, I’m not doing it.”

Variety Magazine

The opening number will be written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the award-winning duo behind *Dear Evan Hansen* and *La La Land*. Amber Ruffin, writer of *Bigfoot*, is also contributing to the script. Executive producers include Michael Sussman, Tara Kapoor and Scott Levine Hall, with co-executive producers Patrick Menton (who also serves as head of talent) and Rob Paine.

Billboard

Pink hinted that the show will feature “many, many, many costume changes” and “stunts — and not just for me.” She joked that “everyone always expects me to fly,” and described scouting Radio City for a suitable hanging point. The opening segment is slated to involve roughly 170 performers onstage, creating a “wild, ridiculous, over-the-top” celebration that will also include a 30th-anniversary medley of *Chicago* with Queen Latifah, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and others.

Variety Magazine

The Tony Awards are produced by Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League. The producers confirmed that the ceremony will air live on CBS at 8 p.m. ET and stream on Paramount+ on June 7.

P! NK Teases 'Wild' Tony Awards 2026 Opening Number: 'There's Going to Be 170 People on Stage'

Industry observers initially questioned the selection, asking “why her?” and noting a “collective eye roll” at the idea of a pop star with no Broadway credits hosting the event. Critics suggested the decision prioritized viewership over theatrical expertise.

USA Today

• “I was like, ‘Why me? I’ve never been on Broadway,’ which is probably the collective eye roll that I felt,” — Pink, Variety interview

Variety Magazine

• “Everyone always expects me to fly, so I literally walk into every building like, ‘Where can I hang from? What’s strong enough?’ They were like, ‘Calm down, it’s Radio City.’ So we’ll see — but I’m doing some things!” — Pink, Variety interview

Variety Magazine

• “Because I haven't been on Broadway. I know I haven't been here. I know I'm an absolute idiot. And my whole point this year is to celebrate all of you and we're just gonna have fun. We're gonna have so much fun. I'm excited.” — Pink, People interview

People Magazine

• “I want theater to be available for every kid because I think more than most things, our art classes and our theater classes are the first things being stripped from our schools, and I find those to be the only places in towns and cities where kids can be goofy together and they can be in safe space and they can be fully themselves,” — Pink, People interview

People Magazine

• “It’s gonna be a medley. I’m doing… something! And it’s gonna be amazing! I’m like, living out my childhood dreams right now.” — Pink, Billboard interview

Billboard

Sources differ on Willow’s onstage involvement: Variety notes that Willow will not join Pink onstage, while People reports that Pink asked her daughter to perform but she declined, citing “nepo-baby” concerns. Additionally, speculation about Pink potentially succeeding Kelly Clarkson as a daytime talk-show host appears in some outlets, but Pink has dismissed the idea.

People Magazine

The ceremony will open with the 7½-minute number featuring 170 performers, followed by the *Chicago* anniversary medley. After the Tonys, Pink’s schedule includes a guest stint on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” and ongoing promotion of her daughter’s Broadway pursuits. The broadcast will be available on CBS and Paramount+ on June 7, marking a high-profile crossover between pop music and Broadway theatre.

Billboard