Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee Become First Nonbinary Tony Winners

Alex Newell (Glee, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist) and J. Harrison Ghee (Mrs. Doubtfire, Kinky Boots, Raising Dion) have respectively won Best Featured Actor in a Musical and Best Leading Actor in a Musical at the 2023 Tony Awards. In doing so, both actors have made history due to being the first openly nonbinary actors to win Tonys. Both actors are Black and in their early 30s, and have each experienced incredible achievements thus far in their burgeoning careers.

Newell played the groundbreaking role of Unique Adams in Glee. Unique was a teenage trans girl who brought about diversity and LGBTQ awareness into the Glee classroom. Unique’s character arc was super refreshing because she provided a lens of musical theatre and pop music through an openly queer perspective.

As Unique, Newell performed some stunning covers such as Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy” and “I Know Where I’ve Been” from Hairspray, which played into Unique’s storyline of being a young Black trans woman finding her place in the world. In the role, Newell has mentioned that “[n]o matter what, she brings this light of fun to the choir room on the show. At the end of the day, she has a lot of heart even though it’s hard to be a trans student in high school.” Alex Newell’s Tony acceptance speech was a beautifully heartfelt moment of the evening, as they declared that “to anyone who thinks they can’t do it; I am going to look you dead in your face and say you can do anything you put your mind to.”

J. Harrison Ghee was the first person to play Andre Mayem in the original 2019 Seattle production of Mrs. Doubtfire, a role which they reprised in 2021 on Broadway. Ghee has mentioned that for themself “As an artist, I’m very intentional about the things I do and how I approach [them]. One of the things I’m grateful for in every process in each show is the commitment to communication, conversation… For me, drag is a tool of freedom. It has always been something I use as an honoring of the feminine energy in my life that has always supported me.” Ghee’s bravery as a nonbinary person willing to put themself out there unapologetically and utilize drag and androgyny as a tool to immerse themself into their characters makes them a standout performer in modern Broadway. Watch Ghee’s touching Tony acceptance speech right here.

Catch Alex Newell in their Tony-winning performance as Lulu in Shucked on Broadway throughout the rest of the year until the final show on February 11, 2024. Make sure to check out J. Harrison Ghee in their Tony-winning performance as Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot on Broadway throughout the rest of the year until the final show on January 14, 2024.