Emmy Winner Jim Parsons Confirms He Turned Down Hosting the 2015 Tony Awards

It turns out Jim Parsons, whose name was initially thrown around as a potential host of this year's Tony Awards, was approached for the position, after all.

The Emmy-winning 'BIG BANG' actor, who will soon return to Broadway in AN ACT OF GOD, opened up to The New York Daily News, confirming that CBS approached him about taking on the gig. And though he was "flattered," the idea induced "stomach cramps just when the thought was broached...I just don't think I'd be good at it."

Though it wasn't ultimately in the cards, stage vets and Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming were ultimately tapped to share the big job on Broadway's biggest night.

Other names that appeared to be on the short list included CBS' newest late night hosts Stephen Colbert and James Corden.

Cumming recently concluded a Broadway run in Cabaret. He has appeared in blockbuster films such as X2: X Men United, Spy Kids, Goldeneye, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion as well as independent movies like Sweet Land, for which he won the Independent Spirit award and Any Day Now which won him acting honors at film festivals around the world. He currently plays Eli Gold in the CBS drama The Good Wife, and also hosts Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. He most recently reprised his Tony winning performance as the EmCee in Cabaret on Broadway, fresh on the heels of his astounding, tour de force, one man Macbeth. He has performed in concert in venues around the world such as the Lincoln Center, NYC, the Sydney Opera House and the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End. For his humanitarian work and activism he has been honored by many organizations including the Matthew Shepard Foundation, the Trevor Project, GLAAD, AmFar, as well as being made an OBE (Officer of the British Empire) for his work in the arts and in the field of LGBT rights in the Queen's Honours list in 2009. His most recent accolade was the unveiling of his portrait at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Chenoweth's Broadway credits include: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Awards); Steel Pier (Theatre World Award) Wicked;Promises, Promises; Epic Proportions; Scapin. Off-Broadway: A New Brain, Dames at Sea, The Fantasticks, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Strike Up the Band. Films: The Boy Next Door, Strange Magic, Rio 2, A Bet's a Bet, Hard Sell, Bewitched, The Pink Panther, RV, Running With Scissors, Stranger Than Fiction, Deck the Halls, Four Christmases. TV: "Descendants," "Pushing Daisies" (Emmy Award), "Glee," "The West Wing," "GCB," "The Good Wife," "12 Men of Christmas," "The Music Man," "Annie" and "Kristin." An Oklahoma Hall of Famer, Chenoweth has performed her solo concerts across the globe at legendary venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House.

The 2015 TONY AWARDS will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, on Sunday, June 7th, 2015 (8:00 - 11:00 p.m. ET/PT time delay) on the CBS Television Network, live from the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Tony Awards, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway, has been broadcast on CBS since 1978. The TONY AWARDS are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

Photo by Walter McBride

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