James Corden Headshot - H 2014
AP Images/InvisionJames Corden will host the 2016 Tony Awards.
The 70th annual awards show honoring the best of the 2015-16 Broadway season will be broadcast live on CBS from The Beacon Theatre in New York City on Sunday, June 12, 2016, from 8-11 p.m., live ET/delayed PT.
The move marks a return to Corden’s theater roots. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble cast of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, which won the best play Tony in 2006, and then starred in One Man, Two Guvnors, for which he won the 2012 Tony for best actor in a play. Both those productions were hit transfers from London.
The choice of Corden to front the telecast brings a host with bona fide stage chops, a television footprint and a booming social media following. Pundits are already anticipating a special Tonys version of his popular “Carpool Karaoke” segments, featuring Broadway stars. The move also allows CBS to cross-promote effectively from Corden’s late-night chair.
This will be Corden’s first time hosting the Tonys, a role undertaken in recent years by Neil Patrick Harris, Hugh Jackman, Sean Hayes, and last year by Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth.
Longtime executive producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, who have won multiple Emmys for their work on the Tonys, will return to shepherd the telecast under their White Cherry Entertainment banner. Weiss will also double as director for the 17th consecutive time. The Tonys are jointly presented by the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.
The Late Late Show host made the announcement on Tuesday morning via Twitter.
Look who’s hosting @TheTonyAwards! https://t.co/RyEfFvBwix pic.twitter.com/E9AaWfV5P6
— The Late Late Show (@latelateshow) February 2, 2016
