Jonathan Groff was reduced to tears when he won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for Merrily We Roll Along.
Groff won the stacked nominee list with Dorian Harewood for The Notebook, Brody Grant for The Outsiders, Eddie Redmayne for Cabaret, and Brian d'Arcy James for Days of Wine and Roses.
As he headed to the stage, Groff was met with a giddy and excited Daniel Radcliffe, who won the Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor as Charley Kringas in the same production as Groff. The two's endearing hug has become viral on social media.
In his speech, Groff was overwhelmed with tears as he thanked his parents.
"Thank you for letting me dress up like Mary Poppins when I was 3. Thank you for letting me act out scenes from 'I Love Lucy' on my 10th birthday. Thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it," Groff shared. "Even if they didn't always understand me, my family knew the lifesaving power of fanning the flame of a young person's passions without judgment."
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Groff then retraced his roots with the cast and crew of Spring Awakening for inspiring him to come out of the closet at 23.
"I'm now 39, and musical theatre is still saving my soul," he added before thanking his co-stars in Merrily We Roll Along, Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez.
"You are more than old friends; you are soulmates," he said of the two. "I'm looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives."
Groff's win as Franklin Shepard was his third time being nominated for a Tony Award. In 2007, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening. In 2015, Groff was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as King George III in Hamilton.
I’m gonna need every future award winner to take notes from Jonathan Groff’s Tonys speech, because damnnnnnn#TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/7ZtOgfL5iq
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) June 17, 2024
"To actually be able to be a part of making theatre in this city and just as much to be able to watch the work of this incredible, incredible community has been the greatest gift and pleasure of my life, and I thank you," Groff said in his lengthy speech, earning a standing ovation from the packed crowd.
Merrily We Roll Along bagged four Tony Awards, including Radcliffe and Groff's, and a Tony for Best Orchestrations and Best Revival of a Musical.
