Ariana DeBose sings from Andrew Garfield’s lap at Tony Awards 2022

Ariana DeBose performed a musical number during the Tony Awards on Sunday (12 June), where she interacted with many audience members, including Andrew Garfield.

The 31-year-old actor, who was hosting the award ceremony, delivered a hilarious musical performance that celebrated the audience.

“I am close to you, oh so close to you / I am touching you, there’s not a lot that you can do,” DeBose sang while poking Garfield in the face as he laughed.

She then sat on his lap as he wrapped his arms around her and she continued singing: “I’m sitting on you / ‘cause what they say is true / ‘cause there is no escaping us in the audience!”

DeBose then stood up and walked off to continue her performance.

Garfield and DeBose were nominated for an Oscar award this year, and both actors have a connection to each other via the Marvel Universe.

Garfield recently reprised his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home, while DeBose is set to appear as Calypso in the upcoming Marvel film Kraven the Hunter.

Many people have reacted to DeBose’s performance on social media.

The Daily Beast reporter Kevin Fallon wrote: “I respect Ariana DeBose for realising what is the point of hosting an award show if you don’t use that opportunity to sit on Andrew Garfield’s lap.”

Another person added: “I relate to Ariana Debose because I, too, would come up with a song just for an excuse to sit on Andrew Garfield’s lap and poke his face.”

“If a miracle somehow happens, and we get Andrew Garfield to play Spider-Man once again in his own movie, can we get @ArianaDeBose to play Mary-Jane?” one fan asked.

Variety’s film and media reporter Rebecca Rubin also posted a clip of Garfield and DeBose, writing: “Ariana DeBose sitting on Andrew Garfield’s lap, we love to see it.”

During her monologue at Tony Awards, DeBose spoke of the diversity across Broadway stages in the last season.

She noted that seven plays were written by Black playwrights, and called out Lynn Nottage as being a double-nominee for writing both the play Clyde’s and the book for MJ — the first playwright to earn nominations in both categories in a single year

She also gave a shout-out to A Strange Loop‘s L Morgan Lee, the first transgender person to be nominated for a Tony, as well as Six composer Toby Marlow, the first nonbinary winner in Tony Awards history.