Tony Awards 2026: Pink starts the show with star-studded opening number

The 2026 Tony Awards kicked off in unforgettable fashion on Sunday, 7 June, with first-time host Pink launching the ceremony with a star-studded, Broadway-sized opening number. 

The 46-year-old Grammy winner opened the 79th annual celebration at New York City's Radio City Music Hall with an ambitious, high-flying performance that combined celebrity cameos, acrobatics, and a staggering team of more than 170 theatre professionals. 

Broadcast live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, the spectacular number immediately set a joyful, self-deprecating tone for theatre's biggest night.

Leaning directly into her status as a newcomer to the theatre community, Pink’s opening was written by EGOT-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul alongside Mark Sonnenblick. 

Dressed as Peter Pan, the pop star began the routine spinning high in the air while belting out I'm Flying from the 1954 musical. 

The fun was soon interrupted by former four-time Tonys host Neil Patrick Harris, who questioned her choice of concept. 

Pink explained her onstage anxiety, admitting she wanted to show how much she loves theatre despite never performing on Broadway, adding that she was worried people would wonder why she was hosting. 

After she tried out lines from The Phantom of the Opera and hauled Harris into the air by his thighs while hitting the famous Elphaba riff from Wicked, Harris reassured her to just do what she does best.

The staging then took a dramatic, high-energy shift as a massive wave of Broadway stars flooded the stage to perform a rewritten version of Lady Marmalade", the iconic 2001 track Pink originally recorded with Christina Aguilera, Mýa, and Lil' Kim, reimagining the lyrics to crown her as a Leading Lady Marmalade. 

The vast sequence saw Pink interact with major stage talents including Deborah Cox, Shoshana Bean, Marla Mindelle, Christiani Pitts, Sara Chase, and Harvey Guillén. 

The group featured cast members representing a wide variety of the season's original and revival musicals, including The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titaníque, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Chess, CATS: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime, and The Rocky Horror Show.

The opening number was packed with surprise appearances that kept the audience laughing. 

The crowd went wild for a hilarious cameo from 96-year-old actress June Squibb, who made history this year as the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history, as well as a brief appearance by Whitney Leavitt. 

Lea Michele also joined in on the fun, dropping a self-deprecating nod to her headline-making snub this season by loudly singing that theatre isn't done for the awards. 

However, the biggest shock of the segment came from rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who made her own Broadway debut this season in Moulin Rouge! The Musical, arriving mid-song to proudly declare that the theatre belongs to the mothers.

Taking on the hosting gig marks a major milestone for Pink, whose real name is Alecia Moore. 

When her role was initially announced in April, she called it the honour of an entire lifetime and praised stage actors as the hardest working people in showbiz. 

With the epic opening sequence successfully completed, the rest of the 2026 Tony Awards continued with a night of non-stop entertainment, including highly anticipated performances from the nominated shows and special anniversary tributes to Broadway classics like The Book of Mormon, Chicago, A Chorus Line, and Rent.