J. Harrison Ghee was recognized for their acclaimed performance in the musical adaptation of 'Some Like It Hot.'
On a historic night for the 2023 Tony Awards, J. Harrison Ghee took home the prize for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, becoming the first nonbinary performer to win the category.
Their win also follows Alex Newell's win in the featured acting category earlier in the ceremony, with the two breaking the glass for LGBTQ performers at the annual Broadway celebration.
"My mother raised me to understand that my gifts that god gave me were not about me. To use them to be effective in the world, to help somebody else's journey," Ghee said during the 76th annual awards show, which took place live at the United Palace Theatre in New York City.
"So thank you for teaching me how to live, how to love, how to give. For every trans, non-binary, gender nonconforming human who ever was told you couldn't be, you couldn't be seen, this is for you."
Ghee spoke with ET backstage after their big victory, and explained what it meant to make history, alongside Newell.
"It means everything," Ghee shared. "I can't wait to party with my friend! It is again this moment of of representation, of visibility, and I'm excited to be that representation and to be a voice in the community for anyone to look up to, and to know that anything is possible."
Ghee's win is for their acclaimed turn as a bass player named Jerry, who is forced to go on the run and hide in plain sight as a member of an all-female band before discovering their true identity as Daphne in the musical adaptation of Some Like It Hot.
Featuring a book written by Matthew López and Amber Ruffin with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, Some Like It Hot is based on the 1959 film originally starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.
In addition to Ghee, the production stars fellow nominee Christian Borle as Joe while Adrianna Hicks takes over Monroe's role as Sugar.The rest of the cast includes additional acting nominees, Kevin Del Aguila as Osgood and NaTasha Yvette Williams as Sweet Sue.
Ghee's win comes after Some Like It Hot earned a total of 13 nominations at the 76th annual Tony Awards, making it the most recognized production of the 2022-2023 season. Following the historic nominations, which also included one for Alex Newell's turn in Shucked, Ghee shared their reaction in a statement to ET.
"I'm thrilled! It has been a fantastic journey to portray Jerry/Daphne, and I've been overwhelmed -- in a good way -- to see how audiences have received these characters," the performer said.
Ghee added, "I'm thankful to every member of this production for creating such an affirming space where I get to show the complexity of this human and go on a beautiful ride every time the curtains go up. I'm grateful to the committee for recognizing this work. It's a moment I will cherish forever."
The 2023 Tony Awards, meanwhile, unfolded over a four-hour event that first kicked off with The Tony Awards: Act One, a pre-show of exclusive content leading up to the main celebration. That event started at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Pluto TV before Ariana DeBose took over as host with awards handed out live starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+.
Check out the full list of winners at the 2023 Tony Awards here.
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