McDonald and LuPone have sent the theater world alight with their bitter feud that has seen the latter beginning a war of words.

There was a “Hamilton” reunion, Nicole Scherzinger’s outsize grandeur and Cynthia Erivo’s pleasant “sing-off” music. But those cheesy projections were a big miss.

According to Nielsen’s time-zone adjusted data, the awards show drew 5.1 million viewers for CBS. That is up from 3.53 million in 2024, an increase of approximately 44%. That is also the largest audience for the Tonys since 2019, when the telecast that year nabbed 5.4 million viewers.

Bernadette Peters reacted to Cole Escola's Tony gown homage, calling the moment "lovely." Escola wore a custom Wiederhoeft gown inspired by Peters' 1999 look from the awards ceremony.

A photo gallery from the red carpet of the 2025 Tony Awards on June 8 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

Ingenuity and reinvention won big at the Tony Awards, where host Cynthia Erivo heralded the big headline of the night: “Broadway is officially back!” This season’s high-flying box-office numbers were juiced by an influx of Hollywood star vehicles, but the biggest artistic honors went to outside-the-box shows that gambled on big risks.

Here's how to watch and what to know about presenters and performers as the 2025 Tony Awards honor the best of Broadway.

It may be off-season in Hollywood, but Broadway’s biggest names were on hand to deliver plenty of red-carpet glamour at the 78th Annual Tony Awards.