Pink wows 2026 Tony Awards crowd with a 'Lady Marmalade'-themed opener and surprise guests

Leigh BlickleyMon, June 8, 2026 at 2:17 AM UTC

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Pink performs onstage during the 79th Annual Tony Awards on June 7 in New York CityCredit: Theo Wargo/GettyKey Points -

Pink hosted the 2026 Tony Awards on Sunday.

Her big opening number included a joyful nod to her 2001 hit "Lady Marmalade."

She was a first-time host at the Tonys and joined by surprise guests for the opener.

Pink brought all the razz and pizazz to her gig as first-time host of the 79th annual Tony Awards.

The pop star proved she was the perfect pick to headline Broadway's biggest night on Sunday as she wowed the star-studded crowd with her performances over the course of the night, the highlight of which was a "Lady Marmalade" opener.

Pink was first joined by Neil Patrick Harris as she dangled from the ceiling on a flying wire as Peter Pan, belting out some iconic melodies from The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables,and Wicked (grabbing Harris by her thighs and lifting him into the air while belting the Elphaba riff).

"You're Pink, Pink. You can do anything," Harris reassured her as she questioned her place as Tonys host. Harris noted "the flying twinks are all vampires now," before suggesting she be "less Pan-ish," which lent itself to a strong pivot to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack tune.

Returning dressed in a top hat, pink corset and pink feathered train, Pink then brought down the house at Radio City Music Hall with a Broadway-themed rendition of her 2001 cover of Labelle's 1974 song "Lady Marmalade." (She originally performed the hit song with Christina Aguilera, Mýa, and Lil' Kim.)

Pink was joined on stage by a slew of special guests for "Leading Lady Marmalade," including this Broadway season's finest Sara Chase, Marla Mindelle, Shoshana Bean, and Lea Michele, and cast members from Chess, The Lost Boys, Titanique, and Ragtime.

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Megan Thee Stallion (Moulin Rouge!) and Whitney Leavitt (Chicago) also made surprise appearances, as did the beloved June Squibb (Marjorie Prime), who sat in the audience and stated, "Every role I've played, I slayed!" (Squibb, 96, made history this year as the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history.)

Megan Thee Stallion performs onstage during The 79th Annual Tony AwardsCredit: Theo Wargo/Getty

Soon to be iconic lines, like "Gitchie, gitchie Laurie Metcalf!" (and "Lesley Manville" and "Carrie Coon") were uttered, as were the memorable lyrics of the number, written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, The Greatest Showman) and Oscar and Grammy winner Mark Sonnenblick (KPop Demon Hunters).

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And the choreography, by Sarah O'Gleby and creative consultants Tim Murray and Isaac Josephthal, was outstanding as a reported 170-plus performers from across the industry came together on stage.

Pink teased her opening number would be "raucous and wild and ridiculous," and she delivered.

on Entertainment Weekly

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