Video: Kara Young Discusses Tony Nominations and Artistic Journey on THE VIEW
Purpose marks Young's fourth consective Tony Award nomination.
By: Josh Sharpe Jun. 03, 2025
Kara Young, who has made history as the first Black performer to earn four consecutive Tony nominations, recently stopped by The View to discuss her role in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Purpose, which is currently running on Broadway.
"I am just so grateful to be a storyteller," shared Young when asked about her accolades. "This is the first time that I'm actually in production while doing this Tony season. It feels great to tell people to come to the play because it's happening right now!"
On the show, she shared a story of when she first fell in love with the arts while attending a mime class with her brother as a kid. "I took the mime class, and this incredible woman, Zahava Gratz, kind of took me under her wing and activated my imagination and made me fall in love with the act of pretending and performing..."
It was recently announced that, next year, Young will also star in a revival of Whoopi Goldberg's play, The Whoopi Monologues, alongside four other actors. "This work changed a lot of our lives. This is some of the greatest storytelling ever," Young said. Watch the full conversation with the Tony winner now.
Directed by Phylicia Rashad, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose is currently scheduled to run until Sunday, August 31, 2025 at Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater. In addition to Best Play, the production has been nominated for five additional Tony Awards: Best Performance By an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (LaTanya Richardson Jackson), Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play (Harry Lennix, Jon Michael Hill), Best Performance By an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Glenn Davis), and Best Performance By an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Kara Young). The ensemble also features Steppenwolf Ensemble member and 2025 Theater World Award recipient Alana Arenas.
For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black political power and familial duty. Spirited, hilarious and filled with intrigue, PURPOSE is an epic family drama from one of the country’s most celebrated voices.
