The audience at this year's Tony Awards gasped in shock then applauded when actor Denée Benton compared Ron DeSantis to a Ku Klux Klan (KKK) leader.
Benton, 31, took aim at Florida's governor during Broadway's biggest night when she presented the Excellence in Theatre Education Award from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
As a result of the ongoing writer's strike, presenters at the awards show made their own speeches and Benton's gained one of the biggest reactions of the night.
"Hi, I'm Denée Benton, actor and proud CMU alum. I'm certain that the current grand wizard—I'm sorry, excuse me—governor of my home state of Florida," Benton began as referred to DeSantis by the title given to the national leader of the KKK.
"I am sure that he will be changing the name of this following town immediately. We were honored to present this award to the truly incredible and life-changing Jason Zembuch Young, enhancing the lives at students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida."
Many in the Tonys' audience were seen open-mouthed with shock, before the crowd broke into rapturous applause at Benton's comments. Benton is a Broadway veteran, best known for her roles in Natasha, Hamilton, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 and Into the Woods.
People watching the Tonys at home reacted to Benton's speech.
"... the Grand Wizard, uh, I mean current Governor of my home state of Florida ..." Denée Benton did what needed to be done," wrote one person on Twitter alongside a video of the moment.
Another added: "It was fantastic. And accurate. Denée Benton calls Ron DeSantis a 'Grand Wizard' on the Tonys."
And a third wrote: "If you haven't seen it - it's truly golden. Perhaps the political slam of the year as Hamilton actress Denée Benton sends a very pointed message to DeSantis."
The 2024 Republican presidential candidate hopeful has earned the ire of the Broadway and Hollywood communities for his 'Don't Say Gay' bill, his ongoing battle with Disney and changes to education curriculum, including blocking African American studies.
Florida has placed restrictions on how race is taught in schools, implemented book bans, and outlawed talk about gender expression and sexuality in public classrooms under HB 1557, the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law.
The state and DeSantis were recently singled out by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which issued a "state of emergency" as a record number of bills were introduced across state legislatures this year, breaking previous records.
The HRC, which is the nation's largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, described 2023 the "worst year on record." It described how much of the legislation being introduced by lawmakers has mainly focused on transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming youth, leading to a loss of access to life-saving medical care in certain instances.
It took special aim at DeSantis, who it accused of "weaponizing his position as a lawmaker to target LGBTQ+ families, Black and brown Floridians, immigrants and private businesses."
DeSantis has also been in a major battle with Walt Disney World in Florida and the wider Disney company after it spoke out against HB 1557.
As a result, DeSantis set his sights on the Orlando theme park and attempted to pass legislation to dissolve its special self-governance zone, which allowed Disney extensive autonomy in managing the land.
But Disney has met DeSantis' challenges with a number of legal plays and even recently filed a lawsuit against the Florida state government alleging that it has been unlawfully targeted with political action in retaliation for the company exercising its right to free speech.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
