Tony Awards Scandals: Celebrities Who Rejected Award Were Banned

• The Tony Awards have seen many controversies. But, few compare to the dramatic withdrawals and bans that have rocked Broadway.
• From shocking rejections to bold stands and bans, these Tony Awards incidents have left lasting impacts.

The Tony Awards have long been highly regarded in the theater world. They celebrate outstanding achievements on Broadway. However, behind the glamour and prestige, the award ceremony has also been marred by controversies.

From actors rejecting nominations in protest of overlooked peers, to challenges against rigid and outdated performance categories based on gender, these Tony Awards scandals have left an indelible mark on the award show’s history.

In 1996, Julie Andrews made a name for herself as a renowned star of the musical “Victor/Victoria.” However, the actress later made headlines for other reasons.

In May, she announced that she would withdraw from consideration for the Best Actress Tony Award. The news was a dramatic turn of events reminiscent of a classic Broadway melodrama.

Andrews’s decision was in protest of what she perceived as a humiliating snub, as the musical had received only one nomination—hers. The actress took the stage during a matinee to give her decision. It left the audience astonished.

“I have searched my conscience and my heart and find that I cannot accept this nomination,” she declared. Andrews’s statement emphasized her solidarity with the cast and creative team who were overlooked by the Tony committee. “I stand instead with the egregiously overlooked,” she said.

Andrews’s frustration was palpable. “Victor/Victoria” was directed by her husband, Blake Edwards. In the play, the actress portrayed a woman who was pretending to be a man who was a female impersonator.

This snub was especially glaring, given the musical’s high-profile status. It also had a significant budget of $8.5 million. The Tony committee ignored the show in every other category, including Best Musical.

Critically acclaimed productions like “Bring In da Noise, Bring In da Funk” and “Rent” were nominated for Best Musical. However, the Tony Awards’ decision not to nominate “Victor/Victoria” was particularly shocking.

This was because less celebrated musicals such as “Swinging on a Star” and “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” received nominations. The exclusion of “Victor/Victoria” and the similarly big-budget “Big” from major nominations sparked widespread speculation on Broadway.

Many wondered if the Tony nominators, most of whom were Broadway veterans, were expressing dissatisfaction with traditional musicals. Or perhaps they were simply unimpressed with the quality of these productions.

Despite her public rejection, the Tony Awards committee held a firm stance on keeping Andrews on the ballot. This led to one of the most perplexing crises in the awards’ history. Keith Sherman, a spokesman for the Tony Awards, acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the situation.

“It certainly is unprecedented for a star of this magnitude to decline a nomination,” he said. Sherman also noted that Andrews would remain on the ballot and could potentially win.

Producers John Scher and Tony Adams supported Andrews’s heartfelt protest. The pair affirmed that it was a genuine expression of disappointment after thorough discussions. “Certainly, this wasn’t staged to help a show,” Scher stated. “It was a very personal statement by Julie.”

In her final remarks, Andrews emphasized the collaborative spirit of “Victor/Victoria.” The actress also expressed her sorrow over the exclusion of her colleagues. Despite her withdrawal, the precise implications of not “accepting” the nomination remained ambiguous.

Producer Tony Adams confirmed Andrews’s adamant stance, stating, “She wants no part of this process.” Andrews’s bold move turned the Tony Awards into a major news story. This highlighted tensions within the theater community and raised questions about the values and decisions of award committees.

In the history of the Tony Awards, there have been other notable instances where actors attempted to withdraw from consideration. Each of these cases highlighted different aspects of the nomination process.

In 1969, William Daniels, acclaimed for his role in the musical “1776,” made a bold request to have his name withdrawn from the Tony nominations. Daniels, who played John Adams, was nominated in the supporting actor category. However, he felt this decision did not reflect his leading role in the production.

In a move that resonated with his principles, Daniels asked to be removed from the ballot. The Tony officials honored his request. They set a precedent for respecting the actor’s viewpoint on category placement.

Five years later, in 1974, a similar scenario unfolded with Douglas Turner Ward. Ward was nominated as a featured actor for his performance in “The River Niger.” However, like Daniels, the actor felt misclassified in the supporting role category. Thus, he sought to have his name withdrawn.

However, this time, the outcome was different. Despite Ward’s request, the Tony Awards committee decided to keep his name on the ballot. Unlike Daniels, Ward did not succeed in having his nomination removed. He ultimately did not win the award.

The differing outcomes of these two cases remain a point of curiosity and discussion among Tony officials and the theater community. Sherman acknowledged the lack of a clear explanation for why Daniels’ request was granted while Ward’s was not.

In 1994, Edward Albee, the celebrated author of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” experienced a peculiar dichotomy in his recognition. He was honored as the first American playwright invited to a state dinner at the Clinton White House.

But, he found himself unwelcome at the Tony Awards. Albee’s acclaimed play “Three Tall Women” won the Pulitzer Prize earlier that year. This marked a big achievement in his long career.

However, despite this accolade, the play was ineligible for the Tony Awards that season. This scandal was due to the play’s designation as an Off-Broadway production. The awards committee was controlled by theater owners with vested interests.

Furthermore, said committee only considered shows performed at their affiliated Broadway theaters. As a result, Albee’s remarkable work went unmentioned during the Tony broadcast on CBS. Excluding “Three Tall Women” highlighted the arbitrary rules for Tony eligibility.

Esteemed artists like choreographer Lar Lubovitch and actor Richard Chamberlain also found themselves ineligible. However, less popular productions like “Cyrano” received multiple nominations.

Variety reported that the inconsistency in the nomination process was further exacerbated by some Tony voters. These voters reportedly flagrantly violated balloting regulations, further undermining the awards’ credibility.

In 2023, Justin David Sullivan took a significant stand against the Tony Awards’ gendered performance categories. Sullivan is a non-binary actor known for playing a non-binary character in the musical “& Juliet.” However, they later found themselves at a crossroads.

This occurred when the Tony Awards Administration Committee released its eligibility determinations. The committee’s decisions ended the time for productions to request categories for their performers. Thus, Sullivan had to choose between the actor or actress categories.

“I was told that I had to choose [the category in which] I felt comfortable, and in that process, I struggled a lot. There’s nothing more that I want to empower than non-binary people, to show that it’s possible to be non-binary on Broadway, […]” Sullivan told Playbill in part.

“I felt like I couldn’t choose. I didn’t feel right being in either category because it didn’t resonate with me. I decided the only thing that felt right to me would be to abstain from nomination consideration. So I will not be considered for a Tony nomination,” they continued.

The Tony Awards is co-presented by The Broadway League and The American Theatre Wing. The organization later released a statement in response to Sullivan’s decision.

In the statement, the organization acknowledged the limitations of their acting categories at the time. “We recognize that the current acting categories are not fully inclusive, and we are currently in discussion about how to best adjust them to address this,” the statement read.

“Unfortunately, we are still in the process on this and our rules do not allow us to make changes once a season has begun. We are working thoughtfully to ensure that no member of our community feel excluded [on the basis of gender identity] in future seasons (sic),” the statement continued.

This issue of gendered categories is not unique to the Tony Awards. Other prestigious award ceremonies have made great strides toward inclusivity. For instance, the Grammy Awards eliminated gender-specific categories in 2012.

MTV followed suit in 2017 for their Video Music Awards and Movies & TV Awards. Major awards such as the Nobel, Pulitzer, and Man Booker prizes have never been gender-segregated.

However, major acting awards like the Tonys and the Emmys have yet to make similar changes. Asia Kate Dillon is a non-binary actor known for their role in “Billions. They have also called for the Television Academy to eliminate gendered categories from the Emmys.

Dillon emphasized the importance of inclusivity in an interview. They said, “I presume no one has asked them directly to make that change, so perhaps this is the right moment.”

A spokesman for the Television Academy said the group “celebrates inclusiveness.” But, despite these calls for change, they have no plans to remove gendered categories.

The Tony Awards have long been a prestigious benchmark in the theater industry, but their history is not without controversy. From Julie Andrews’s dramatic withdrawal in 1996 to Justin David Sullivan’s modern-day principled stand against gendered categories, these incidents reveal the complex and often contentious nature of the awards.