Jonathan Groff Finally Won His First Tony Award, And His Seriously Emotional Speech Will Probably Make You Cry

For context, Jonathan first found Broadway success all the way back in 2006, when he originated the role of Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening, for which he earned his first Tony nomination.

He then found TV and movie success, with a recurring role in the Fox series Glee, and as the voice of both Kristoff and Sven in Disney’s Frozen franchise.

In 2015, Jonathan returned to Broadway to play King George III in the original production of Hamilton. He was critically acclaimed for his performance at the time, and would regularly earn standing ovations during the show. 

He was nominated for his second Tony Award the following year, but lost out to his Hamilton costar Daveed Diggs.

This marked the first time the show had been on Broadway since its 1981 original production, and it was a huge success as it broke the house record for sold-out audiences, and grossed more than $1.3 million. 

And it appears that the Tony Awards Management Committee agrees with the hype, with Merrily We Roll Along dominating this year’s ceremony with seven nominations and an impressive four wins.

The star started by thanking his parents, saying to them: “Thank you for letting me dress up as Mary Poppins when I was 3, thank you for letting me act out scenes from I Love Lucy on my 10th birthday, thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it.”

“Even if they didn't always understand me, my family knew the lifesaving power of fanning the flame of a young person's passions without judgment,” Jonathan went on. “I walk through life with an open heart because you let me know that I could; thank you, I love you.”

After thanking his teachers in his home state of Pennsylvania, Jonathan added: “I moved to New York exactly 20 years ago this year, and I got a job waiting tables and became a volunteer for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and all I wanted was to be a part of this community.”

“Thank you to everyone involved in Spring Awakening, who not only made that dream come true, but also inspired me to come out of the closet when I was 23,” Jonathan shared. “I'm now 39, and musical theater is still saving my soul.”

“Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez, you are more than old friends; you are soulmates, and I'm looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives,” Jonathan said. “Thank you to every member of the extraordinary cast for lifting this Merrily into the spiritual stratosphere. Thank you to everyone working inside the Hudson Theatre.”

“And finally, I just want to say, when I was a kid in Pennsylvania, I used to record the Tony Awards on a VHS tape and watch the performances over and over again,” Jonathan recalled. “And to actually be able to be a part of making theater in this city, and just this much to be able to watch the work of this incredible, incredible community has been the greatest gift and pleasure of my life, and I thank you. And thank you so much for this honor.”