Tony Awards host Cynthia Erivo playfully ribbed George Clooney during the 2025 ceremony, calling the veteran actor an “up-and-comer” in reference to his Broadway debut in his play Good Night, and Good Luck. Erivo declared, “Broadway is officially back,” while delivering a subtle jab at HBO’s Succession.
George Clooney reacts to Cynthia Erivo’s ‘up-and-comer’ joke at Tony Awards
George Clooney reacted to Wicked star Cynthia Erivo’s “up-and-comer” joke at the 2025 Tony Awards ceremony. While introducing the nominees of the year, Erivo praised the star-studded lineup. Later, she quipped, “Featuring first-time nominees like Cole Escola, Sadie Sink, Louis McCartney — and an up-and-comer that I think you’re going to be hearing a lot about: George Clooney.”
As the camera panned to Clooney, the acclaimed actress remarked, “Good for you, George. Things are going your way; I like it a lot for you.” In response, Clooney shrugged his shoulders and mouthed, “It’s alright.” (via US Weekly)
During the ceremony, Erivo also did an impression of Clooney. The Oscar-nominated actress joked, “This season Broadway audiences were thrilled by (the) endless amount of stage cameras, abundance of serious men smoking, and the extreme black and white close-ups of extremely attractive people.”
As she finished reading her line, the camera zoomed in on her before showing Clooney’s subtle nod and laugh at the joke. On another note, Erivo took a subtle dig at the Succession cast. (via Entertainment Tonight)
The Grammy-winning artist jested, “Broadway is officially back. Provided we don’t run out of cast members of Succession.”
Clooney opened up about his Broadway debut during his appearance at the ceremony. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “It was pretty fun to do it, and it was also fun to stop doing it.” He added, “Just like, take a break because it’s been late nights and stuff.”
Clooney was nominated for the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play category at the 2025 Tony Awards.
Cole Escola, lead actor of Oh, Mary!, won the award in the category, beating Clooney’s performance in Good Night, and Good Luck.
Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on ComingSoon.
