Tony Awards Producers Tell-All! How They Got Pink to Host and What to Expect Ahead of Broadway's Biggest Night (Exclusive)

Jack Sussman, Sarah Levine Hall and Raj Kapoor pull back the curtain on the 2026 honors, including how they built a "massive" 170-person opening number in less than three weeks

NEED TO KNOW

• Jack Sussman, Sarah Levine Hall and Raj Kapoor — producers of the 2026 Tony Awards — answer every burning question PEOPLE has about the ceremony
• Pink will host the 79th annual honors, marking her first time hosting an awards show
• The Tony Awards air Sunday, June 7 on CBS, live from both coasts beginning at 8 p.m. ET, and stream on Paramount+

As Broadway prepares for its biggest night of the year, executive producers Jack Sussman, Sarah Levine Hall and Raj Kapoor are putting the finishing touches on a telecast that promises to be bigger, bolder and more ambitious than ever.

The trio — whose collective credits include the Grammy Awards, Oscars and other major live television events — are overseeing the 2026 Tony Awards, airing live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. While audiences will see the polished final product, the work behind the scenes has been moving at a breakneck pace, with some of the show's creative swings coming together just weeks before curtain.

Ahead of Broadway's biggest night, PEOPLE spoke with Sussman, Levine and Kapoor about recruiting first-time host Pink, building an opening number they hope rivals some of the Tony Awards' most beloved moments and what they want viewers to take away from this year's ceremony.

PEOPLE: Let's start with Pink. How did she become your host?
RAJ KAPOOR: It happened quickly. I think we've all worked with Pink over the years in some capacity. She's produced some amazing performances on television. Then we started hearing all this buzz about how much she loved Broadway. We proposed it to our partners with the American Theatre Wing, The Broadway League and CBS, and everybody got on board very quickly. Patrick Menton, who was our co-executive producer, put in the call. Within a few days, we were all on a Zoom together having one of the best calls we've ever had. She told us she'd never hosted an award show before, and we said we'd support her through the process. By the time we finished the Zoom, she said she was in, and we could not have been happier. And then we've been together ever since.
SARAH LEVINE HALL: Which is crazy.
KAPOOR: It was a very abbreviated timeline. Then we've just been coming up with great creative ideas together, and she's going to blow people away.
JACK SUSSMAN: I think all three of us have spent a lot of time trying to get great hosts for these big shows. This was the quickest yes I've ever heard in a pitch.
LEVINE HALL: We all texted each other afterward saying, "Wait, we heard that, right?"

Finding a host for the Tony Awards can't be easy. You're looking for someone who can appeal to Broadway diehards, but also viewers who may not know anything about theater. Is that something you're thinking about?
KAPOOR: Hosts are challenging no matter what the show. It's a big lift. You have to really want to do it. It's a lot of moving parts, and you hope you find somebody who has a lot of fun along the way. Sometimes you find somebody and people want to come back for a few years. That's always your hope because it takes one time to learn the show, and then hopefully the next year you get to relax into it a little more. The first year is always nerve-racking, so we're here to support Pink and help her along the way.
LEVINE HALL: She's going to do an incredible job.
SUSSMAN: She's doing it because she's a superfan and wants to be in the room. She's not doing it because she has a movie coming out or an album coming out.
LEVINE HALL: When that connection is true and genuine and grounded and heartfelt, it makes all the difference in the world.

I grew up watching Rosie O'Donnell host the Tonys. That's always been my benchmark — somebody who felt like a true ambassador for Broadway.
SUSSMAN: That's why Pink felt so exciting. She's a real fan.
LEVINE HALL: Totally.

Of course, whenever Pink is involved, people immediately start wondering about acrobatics. She's teased there will be harnesses. Whether she's the one doing the flying, we don't know. What can you tell us?
KAPOOR: It's something fun, we'll just say that.
LEVINE HALL: We're excited for people to see what's in store on Sunday. I think fans will be really happy with what we've come up with.

The opening number features more than 170 Broadway performers. How did this come together?
KAPOOR: The idea happened about two and a half weeks ago. Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and [KPop Demon Hunters songwriter] Mark Sonnenblick came on board. Sarah O'Gleby is our choreographer, and her team has helped stage this because it's a massive undertaking. It's this celebratory opening that just puts a smile on your face.
LEVINE HALL: Joyful.
SUSSMAN: That's the word. Joyful. It's one of the most fun, most electrifying things I've ever seen.
KAPOOR: We hope that by the end of it, even people at home are standing up applauding. And I think some people even have a few tears in their eyes, because it's one of those things that just makes you feel good. If you've seen all these incredible shows on Broadway this season, it helps celebrate them in the very best way.

You've already released a list of names. Will there be more to come?
KAPOOR: We can say all the casts from every nominated musical and every revival musical are part of it, and you might even see some acting nominees taking part. Plus, yes… there will be some really great cameos.

Two and a half weeks sounds completely insane to write a huge opening number like this. Was this the idea from the beginning?
KAPOOR: There were a lot of different ideas percolating. Then one night at dinner, Benj got on the phone and said, "We have a pitch." Within 15 minutes I was texting everybody. The next day they started writing, and two days later they had something for us. We got on a Zoom, they walked us through it, singing at the keyboard, and we were already laughing.
LEVINE HALL: Sometimes there are those lightning bolt moments where the creative just coalesces. Raj had a great idea, they yes-anded that and in true theatrical style, it all evolved into this incredible moment.
KAPOOR: Even in that first session, we knew it was going to be gold.

How did Pasek and Paul and Sonnenblick get involved in the first place? Do you approach different songwriters every year to work with? Is there a pitch process?
LEVINE HALL: It's case by case every year. We look for personalities who we think would be the best fit creatively. But this was an interesting natural evolution where one idea led to another and everything got tied together.
KAPOOR: First it was Benj and Paul. Then they said, "We're going to bring in Mark Sonnenblic."
SUSSMAN: Then Tim Murray and Isaac Josephthal joined, as creative consultants.
KAPOOR: Every person who came into the process made it better.

As somebody who constantly rewatches old Tony Awards openings, the way you're describing this sounds like "Bigger," Neil Patrick Harris' opening number from the 2013 Tony Awards.
KAPOOR: That was our goalpost. We wanted to be bigger than "Bigger."
LEVINE HALL: And Sarah O'Gleby, our choreographer, helped put together "Bigger" all those years ago. So we knew her mind, and that she knew how to actually assemble all of these different pieces and parts and bodies within this timeframe.
KAPOOR: There's also a new sound system at Radio City, and it is incredible. When you hear 170 people singing together with this orchestration, it's really something. We're bursting with excitement and nervousness.

One of the things that's unique about the Tonys is that you're not creating original performances the way you might at the Grammys. You're taking existing shows and figuring out how to showcase them on television. Is that easier? Or does it present new challenges?
LEVINE HALL: It's just different; different in almost every respect. You're taking something that's already its own story and working with the creatives who built that story. You're figuring out how to distill it into something that works within the context of a telecast while still making people excited enough to buy tickets and see the show. So it becomes this amazing collaboration with directors, choreographers, lighting designers, scenic designers, music teams and so many other people.
SUSSMAN: And compared to the two to two and a half weeks of creating this open, we made a real concerted effort to begin having conversations with the creatives for all these individual shows very early on. So when nominations came out, we could hit the ground running.

This is also a big year for anniversaries. You're celebrating 15 years of The Book of Mormon, 30 years of Chicago and 50 years of A Chorus Line. How did those tributes come together?
LEVINE HALL: Many Broadway fans consider the Tonys their Super Bowl. So we wanted to lean into that for those viewers. Celebrating the history of Broadway like this creates a nice balance on the broadcast. You're able to look back while also keeping things looking forward with these new nominated shows.

It's also the 30th anniversary of Rent this year. You're acknowledging that by having Leslie Odom, Jr. singing "Without You" for the In Memoriam segment. Was there ever discussion of doing something larger? Especially since the original cast is reuniting for an anniversary performance later this year?
KAPOOR: That idea came early, and it was such a beautiful pitch. We heard the song and heard the arrangement, and it struck that right emotional balance for us.
LEVINE HALL: What they've created is really stunning. It feels timeless.
SUSSMAN: We've also seen the original Rent cast reunite on the Tonys before [in 2008]. So this felt different.
KAPOOR: It's going to hit all the right notes.

Award shows are in a tough place right now. Viewership for the Grammys and the Golden Globes were down this year. Streaming platforms are taking over, with the Actors Awards now airing on Netflix and the Oscars heading to YouTube in 2029. How much does ratings and the larger challenges facing live television factor into the work you're producing?
LEVINE HALL: Our focus is creating the best show possible. We have to hope that the ratings and the viewership will follow. We're really excited about the show this year. We're really excited about the collaboration with the entire Broadway community. That's where our attention goes.
KAPOOR: And getting the word out that everybody needs to watch and celebrate because the show is going to lift your spirits and bring a smile to your face.
SUSSMAN: Our goal is to maintain the integrity of this iconic brand and create a great television event so viewers watching decide to come to New York and see these shows. And beyond that, we want to inspire people who don't get to experience theater all the time to say, "Maybe that's something I might want to do someday."

Let's talk about run-time. You have a lot of show to get through — performances, awards, tributes and more. Other award shows in the past have tried to come up with bits to keep acceptance speeches from going too long (much to mixed results). How are you handling that?
LEVINE HALL: We message to the nominees how much time they have from the time they hear their name. But with the Tonys, generally, people are really, really respectful and understand that if they go for a very long time, it has the possibility of maybe someone later in the show not having as much time to give their acceptance speech.
SUSSMAN: This community, especially, seems to want to make sure everybody has their moment.

Speak to that. Actors tell me all the time that the Broadway community is a family, and that feeling is much different than the greater Hollywood entertainment industry. Is that something you've noticed?
KAPOOR: This is my first year doing the show, and what I've seen this year is this beautiful support network.
SUSSMAN: They know one another so well. Last year, they were in a show together. Their theaters are next door to each other. They go to see one another's shows on their days off.
KAPOOR: At rehearsals, if a cast gets here early and are sitting in the audience while another show is on stage, they'll stand up and applaud them after the number is over. It's really lovely to see. They're there to celebrate each other.
SUSSMAN: They all had a similar dream, and now it's coming true. They're all in this together.
KAPOOR: It's a really special bond.

Pink called them the hardest-working people in this business and it's hard to argue against that. Not only do they do this eight shows a week, but the fact that on Sunday morning they'll be at dress rehearsal at 7 a.m. in full costume, then go perform their matinees, then go straight from the theater to the red carpet to perform live on national television?
LEVINE HALL: It's insane. They're incredible.

We've talked a lot about musicals. What about plays? In the past, the Tonys has experimented with different ways to showcase the Best Play and Best Revival of a Play nominees. What have you decided?
LEVINE HALL: We're trying something with the plays this year that we feel really strongly about. As theater fans, we love plays and wanted to find a way to honor them that feels meaningful and elevates them within the telecast.
KAPOOR: I think we've found the right solution to really shine a spotlight on them. I'm confident in that.

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Looking through the presenters list, you've got a mix of big names who were a part of this season — Adrien Brody, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Megan Thee Stallion, etc. — plus past Tony winners, like Darren Criss, Nicole Scherzinger, Ben Platt, Cole Escola, Sarah Paulson and more. There's some theater royalty (Bernadette Peters, Brian Stokes Mitchell), a selection of stars coming to the boards next season (Billy Crystal, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lily Rabe) and Hollywood heavyweights, like Annette Bening and Paul Rudd. Oh, and past Tony Awards hosts! Neil Patrick Harris and Ariana DeBose…
KAPOOR: We're stacked. It's a dream to get all those people together in one room, and we're playing a lot with the combinations of the ways people are going to be seeing them.
LEVINE HALL: It's fun, and everyone is so excited to be a part of this. It just goes to show the power of Broadway and how much this industry means to people.

You're also producing Act One, the Tony Awards pre-show, which is its own undertaking. What can audiences expect from hosts Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess when they turn to PlutoTV?
LEVINE HALL: It's going to be fast-paced. We present a lot of awards in a very short amount of time — I think 15 competitive awards? — along with the special honors, the Regional Theatre Award and the Education Award. So it's jam-packed.
KAPOOR: But Laura and Tituss are very funny. We just rehearsed with them, and they're pitch perfect for it.

Before I let you go, is there anything else you can tease about the show?
KAPOOR: It moves. It flies by. There are so many performances and so many surprises along the way that from the moment it starts, it just takes you off on a ride and never slows down.

Will there be a closing number? That's been something we've seen in the past.
LEVINE HALL: You will just have to see what happens at 11 p.m.

So what will all of you be doing at, say, 11:15 p.m. then?
KAPOOR: [Laugh] Cocktail.
LEVINE HALL: Martini!
SUSSMAN: Bourbon.

The 2026 Tony Awards will air from Radio City Music Hall on both coasts beginning at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+. The Tony Awards: Act One will stream live on Pluto TV starting at 6:35 p.m. ET.

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