Current Promises, Promises Tony nominee and past Will & Grace Emmy winner Sean Hayes will host June 13's 64th annual Tony Awards ceremony, CBS – which will broadcast the show live from Radio City Music Hall – announced Monday.
The Tonys honor Broadway's best. This year's top nominees include the musicals Fela!" and La Cage aux Folles, with 11 nods each, and the revival of the drama Fences, starring Denzel Washington, with 10.
"I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Tony Awards," Hayes, 39, said in a statement. "As the new guy on Broadway, it's an honor to be included in the established alumni."
Hayes was also the subject of a controversial Newsweek essay on April 26, in which journalist Ramin Setoodeh suggested that gay actors (Hayes has recently come out) could not be believed in straight roles. The reaction was swift and severe.
Hayes's Promises costar, Kristin Chenoweth, led the charge, labeling Setoodeh's position "moronic."
All-Star Roster
Besides Hayes and Washington, other familiar names nominated for Tonys this season include Jude Law in Hamlet; Alfred Molina, in Red; Liev Schreiber in A View from the Bridge; Christopher Walken in A Behanding in Spokane; Kelsey Grammer in La Cage; Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music; Linda Lavin in Collected Stories; and Valerie Harper in Looped.
For a complete list of nominees, visit the Tonys website.
Actress Kristin Chenoweth has taken aim at Newsweek magazine after a popular columnist attacked her gay Promises, Promises co-star Sean Hayes for portraying a straight man on Broadway.
Ramin Setoodeh suggested the former Will & Grace star was "wooden and insincere" in an online article, titled Straight Jacket, about homosexuals playing it straight on Broadway.
Appalled by the piece, Chenoweth penned an open letter, defending a gay star's right to play any role, and posted it on several social network sites over the weekend.
She wrote, "I was shocked on many levels to see Newsweek publishing Ramin Setoodeh's horrendously homophobic Straight Jacket, which argues that gay actors are simply unfit to play straight.
"I'd normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense, but the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it, is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes.
"This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian. For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile.
"I know how much it means to young people struggling with their sexuality to see out & proud actors like Sean Hayes, (Glee star) Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Cynthia Nixon succeeding in their work without having to keep their sexuality a secret. I encourage Newsweek to embrace stories which promote acceptance, love, unity and singing and dancing for all!"
Will & Grace actor Sean Hayes has confirmed he is gay – adding that he was "never in" the closet.
The star, who played gay character Jack McFarland in the sitcom, has been criticised in the past for not declaring his sexual orientation.
In an interview with Advocate, he said: "I never have had a problem saying who I am. I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never."
The magazine had criticised him for giving media interviews in which he skirted around the topic of his sexuality, despite it being an open secret in Hollywood.
Hayes said: “Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be. And if you don’t know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?
“I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it. You’re welcome, Advocate.”
On the magazine's criticism, he added: “Why would you go down that path with somebody who’s done so much to contribute to the gay community?
“That was my beef about it. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to stand on a float? And then what? It’s never enough."
The actor also confirmed he was in a relationship, saying only: "I spend time with a special someone in my life. That's it. That's all I need. I don't need events. I don't do a lot. I live my life like an 85-year-old man. I'm just quiet. It's fantastic."
Current Promises, Promises Tony nominee and past Will & Grace Emmy winner Sean Hayes will host June 13's 64th annual Tony Awards ceremony, CBS – which will broadcast the show live from Radio City Music Hall – announced Monday.
