At last night’s ceremony, non-binary actor and playwright Cole Escola won a Tony Award for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play’ for her performance in ahistoric comedy Oh, Mary!. The achievement makes Escola the first non-binary actor to win in the category.

Known for roles in Hulu’s Difficult People, TBS’s Search Party and their YouTube videos, Escola rose to fame through New York’s cabaret and comedy scenes. Last year, Escola made their Broadway debut with the outlandish comedy Oh, Mary!, of which they’re also the writer.

The premise of the play is an attempt to answer a question the artist sat on for many years: “What if Abraham Lincoln’s assassination wasn’t such a bad thing for Mary Todd?”. In Oh, Mary!, Escola plays Mary Todd Lincoln as an unhappy alcoholic who aspires to be a cabaret star, if only her husband, Abraham Lincoln, didn’t get in the way.

After an incredibly successful sold-out and twice-extended Off Broadway run, the show opened at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway last summer. It went on to become the only show in Lyceum’s 121-year history to gross more than $1 million in a single week.

Cole Escola wins the “Lead Actor in a Play” Tony Award for ‘Oh, Mary!’ pic.twitter.com/H9MEPnUjZQ

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 9, 2025

In addition to Cole Escola’s, Oh, Mary! received four other nominations, including Best Play, Featured Actor in a Play for Conrad Ricamora, Best Costume Design of a Play for Holly Pierson, and Best Direction of a Play for Sam Pinkleton.

Escola agreed to be eligible for the award in the gendered category, competing alongside George Clooney for Good Night, and Good Luck, Jon Michael Hill for Purpose, Daniel Dae Kim for Yellow Face, Harry Lennix for Purpose, and Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow.

While not the first non-binary artist to win a Tony Award, Cole Escola is the first to win in the ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play’ category. The actor took to the stage in a Bernadette Peters-inspired gown and wig to accept the award, thanking all the other nominees in their category.

“It’s an honour to be in your company, and more than that, it’s been a sincere pleasure spending time with you over these warm salads at all these lunches,” they said.

“First of all, hi mom. I love you. I’ll call you when I can,” they added before thanking more people who supported them, including Oh Mary! director Sam Pinkleton. Amidst laughter from the audience, they also thanked “T Bone from Grindr”.

cole escola is the funniest thing that’s happened to society since the introduction of miss piggy. pic.twitter.com/R1r3w3yFiY

— andres (@DblAuntAndres) June 9, 2025

Other queer highlights from the night include playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, who received a special Tony Award for ‘Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre’. With an incredible theatre career spanning decades, Fierstein’s work includes the Torch Song Trilogy and Kinky Boots.

Australian star Sarah Snook won her first Tony Award in the ‘Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play’ category for her role in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger took home a Tony for her performance in Jamie Lloyd’s revival of Sunset Boulevard.

The ceremony was hosted by Cynthia Erivo, who closed the night with a rendition of ‘And I am Telling You (I’m Not Going)’ from the award-winning musical Dreamgirls.

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