Breaking Down the 2025 Tony Awards Nominations

Still thinking about the Tony nominations? Us too! Check out some takeaways from today's big announcement and recap the full list and the nominees' reactions!

FULL LIST OF NOMINEES

A total of 130 nominations went out in 26 categories. 

22 nominations went to productions that have already closed.

59 nominations went to productions that opened before Spring 2025.

Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending, and Buena Vista Social Club were the most nominated shows of the year.

Of the 42 acting nominees...

-11 are making their Broadway debuts: Sarah Snook, George Clooney, Cole Escola, Louis McCartney, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Nicole Scherzinger, Tom Francis, Tala Ashe, Marjan Neshat, Bob Odenkirk, and Jak Malone.

-7 are previous Tony nominees (who have yet to win): Brooks Ashmanskas, Laura Donnelly, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, Jeremy Jordan, and Jessica Hecht.

-6 are previous Tony winners: Jonathan Groff, James Monroe Iglehart, Kara Young, Gabriel Ebert, and Danny Burstein have each won once. Audra McDonald has won six times.

-2 were here last year: Jonathan Groff (Merrily We Roll Along) and Kara Young (Purlie Victorious).

-11 have first names that start with a 'J': Jak Malone, Jennifer Simard, Joy Woods, James Monroe Iglehart, Justina Machado, Julia Knitel, Jessica Hecht, Jonathan Groff, Jeremy Jordan, Jasmine Amy Rogers, and Jon Michael Hill.

-4 have played Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors: Jonathan Groff, Jeremy Jordan, Conrad Ricamora, and Darren Criss. Additionally, Joy Woods played Audrey!

Audra McDonald is now the most nominated performer in Tony Awards history, with 11 nominations. She has won six times. Before today's honor, she was tied as the most-nominated performer alongside Chita Rivera and Julie Harris, both of whom ended their careers with a total of 10 nominations. McDonald has already broken records as the performer with the most Tony wins, receiving 6 since her first honor in 1994 for Carousel.

Cole Escola is the first non-binary actor to be nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Play.

At 19 years old, Fina Strazza is the youngest nominee of the season. Not far behind are Louis McCartney (21), Sadie Sink (23) Joy Woods (24), Tom Francis (25), and Jasmine Amy Rogers (26).

The Best Musical race has been one of the most buzzed-about categories of the season, with a whopping 14 productions eligible. Two of the nominees opened in the fall and 3 in the spring.

3 nominees are named Marco: Marco Pennette, Marco Paguia, and Marco Ramirez.

Sadly, several shows were completely shutout, earning no nominations. They include 6 musicals: Elf, Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, Once Upon a Mattress, Redwood, Tammy Faye, The Last Five Years; and 7 plays: All In: Comedy About Love, Cult of Love, Home, Job, Left on Tenth, McNeal, and Othello.

Of the 18 Best Production nominees (Best Musical, Best Play, Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Revival of a Play):

-6 have already closed: The Hills of California, English, Yellow Face, Eureka Day, Romeo + Juliet, and Our Town.

-10 opened before Spring 2025: Gypsy, Sunset Blvd., Maybe Happy Ending, Death Becomes Her, The Hills of California, English, Yellow Face, Eureka Day, Romeo + Juliet, Our Town.

-3 are Roundabout Theatre Company productions: Pirates! The Penzance Musical, English, and Yellow Face.

All four nominees for Best Revival of a Play have already closed.

Many creatives earned multiple nominations, including: Will Aronson (Book, Score, Orchestrations), Hue Park (Book, Score), Cole Escola (Leading Actor in a Play, Play), Marg Horwell (Scenic, Costumes), Derek McLane (Scenic, Scenic), Rob Howell (Scenic, Costumes), Peter Hylenski (Sound, Sound), David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts (Book, Score), and Christopher Gattelli (Direction, Choreography).

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the most-nominated solo show in Tony Awards history. 

Of all of the 2025 Tony nominees, who has the most nominations ever? That honor goes to Natasha Katz, who just picked up her 19th (8 wins). Catherine Zuber is close behind with 18 nominations (10 wins).

It runs in the family...The Picture of Dorian Gray's Kip Williams and Clemence Williams are siblings!

Kara Young has been nominated for the last four Tony Awards: Clyde's (2022), Cost of Living (2023), Purlie Victorious (2024), and Purpose (2025). She is now tied with Laurie Metcalf for the most consecutive Tony nominations. She is the first African American actress to be nominated four times in a row in any category. She is also one of only three actress with four or more nominations in the history of this category.

Daniel Dae Kim is the first Asian actor to be nominated for Leading Actor in a Play.

Darren Criss is the fourth actor of Asian decent to receive a nomination for Leading Actor in a Musical. Others are Ken Watanabe, Lou Diamond Phillips and Mako.

Megan Hilty has been nominated for one other Tony Award (the 2016 revival of Noises Off). Both of her Tony-nominated characters (Brooke and Madeline) share the same last name, 'Ashton'.

Sanaaz Toossi is the first Iranian-American to be nominated for Best Play For English. Talas Ashe and Marjan Neshat are the first Middle Eastern actors to be nominated for Featured Actress in a Play.

Broadway is a bit... dead-obessed this year? (And so are you!) Dead Outlaw and Death Becomes Her are both nomiated for Best Musical.

Read the full list of 2025 Tony Award nominees here!