P!nk, Megan Thee Stallion, Queen Latifah & More Deliver Electrifying Performances at 2026 Tony Awards
P!nk hosted the 79th annual Tony Awards, opening the show with a star-studded parody of "Lady Marmalade" and later leading a vibrant tribute to the 30th anniversary of Broadway's "Chicago." The night celebrated theater with iconic performances and special appearances by a host of celebrities and Broadway veterans.
The 79th annual Tony Awards, held on Sunday, June 7, at Radio City Music Hall, featured a star-studded evening, with P!nk taking on the role of host for the 2026 ceremony. The Grammy winner kicked off the televised show with an extravagant and hilarious opening number, a parody of her collaborative 2001 smash “Lady Marmalade.” Titled “Leading Lady Marmalade,” this reworked version of the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit brought together an impressive array of talent, including Megan Thee Stallion, Lea Michele, Neil Patrick Harris, the Tony-nominated women of 2026, and dancers from several Broadway shows.
P!nk made a dramatic entrance, spinning in the air dressed as Peter Pan, before being joined by Neil Patrick Harris. She expressed her love for theater and her desire for the opener to be as “Broadway” as possible, despite never having performed on Broadway herself. Megan Thee Stallion, fresh from her run in Moulin Rouge, took the stage in her Zidler costume, delivering a revised version of Lil’ Kim’s rap from the original song. Lea Michele, though not nominated this year, made a cameo to hit Christina Aguilera’s iconic vocal note, changing the lyric to “We don’t do it for the awards.” Even June Squibb, the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history, had a memorable moment, quipping, “All the parts I’ve played, I’ve slayed ’em,” to the tune of “Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya.” The performance, backed by a full-stage ensemble including Broadway veterans Dylan Mulvaney and Shoshana Bean, concluded with P!nk’s soaring “Welcome to the Tony Awards!”
Later in the evening, the Tony Awards hosted a special tribute to the iconic musical “Chicago,” commemorating its 30 years on Broadway. The current revival, which opened in 1996, is the longest-running show currently on the Great White Way and the longest-running musical revival ever. Queen Latifah, who famously played Matron “Mama” Morton in the 2002 film adaptation, introduced a medley of the musical’s best-known songs. Alex Newell, a 2023 Tony winner and “Chicago” Broadway veteran, powerfully belted out “When You’re Good to Mama.”
The tribute continued with a captivating round-robin performance of “Cell Block Tango,” featuring various actresses including Whitney Leavitt (current Roxie Hart), Dylan Mulvaney, Alex Newell, and Julianne Hough, alongside a hilarious cameo by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, all portraying murderesses discussing their crimes. The medley concluded with P!nk delivering a standout rendition of the musical’s centerpiece song, “All That Jazz.” Her performance showcased her vocal excellence, jazz hands, and a playful “cat who caught the canary” energy, fulfilling what she described as a childhood fantasy on the Tony Awards stage. Ahead of her hosting gig, P!nk reflected on the theatrical nature of her concerts, stating, “We always come from a theatrical place. I mean, for me, I’m a carney, right? So it’s sort of like a circus, without the animals of course, other than the humans.”