Hillary Clinton receives standing ovation during surprise Tony awards appearance

Ellie Iorizzo, PA Los Angeles Correspondent
·1-min read

Hillary Clinton was greeted with a standing ovation during her surprise appearance at the 77th Tony Awards.

The former US Secretary of State highlighted the historical importance behind the musical Suffs, which she is credited as having co-produced, when she arrived on stage to introduce a musical number from the cast.

“I have stood on a lot of stages, but this is very special,” the 76-year-old said.

“I know a little bit about how hard it is to make change so I am extremely proud of this original American musical by Shaina Taub, two time tony winner.”

Ms Clinton used the on-stage opportunity to emphasise the importance of voting, while also noting that it is a US election year.

“Of course it is about some American originals, the suffragists who fought so valiantly for so long to give women in our country the right to vote.

“It is almost impossible to think about what a challenge that was, but now it is an election year and we need to be reminded about how important it is to vote.”

2024 Tony Awards – Show
Hilary Clinton speaks during the 77th Tony Awards (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

It comes as former president Donald Trump gears to run for president, as he faces pending federal charges for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, and his recent guilty verdict in an unrelated hush money trial.

Former first lady Ms Clinton lost the election in a shock defeat to Mr Trump in 2016, before President Joe Biden was elected in 2021.

Suffs, a musical which follows the woman’s movement and their “relentless pursuit of the right to vote”, won two Tony awards for best original score and best book of a musical.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Sunak may have made the biggest electoral mistake in British history

    When the history of this election campaign comes to be written, one question will perplex the compilers more than any other: why now? The Tory officials and police officers being investigated for alleged gambling law infractions by betting on a snap contest in July will have secured very good odds for the simple reason that no one was expecting it.

  • The Tories have abandoned the one thing that made them electable

    The outcome of the general election is now considered such a foregone conclusion that the post-mortem examination is being conducted while the corpse is still twitching. Many pundits and politicians seem to think that the Government’s imminent demise can be explained by its failure to listen to one faction or another.

  • Reform puts British people first – how is that a wasted vote?

    This is just a hunch, but I imagine some of you are as sick as I am of hearing that a vote for Reform is a wasted vote. Let me tell you what a wasted vote is. Casting my ballot in December 2019 with a song in my heart for the Conservatives. Nothing I voted for came to pass. Worse than that, in many cases the alleged Tory government did precisely the opposite of what I wanted. Every Conservative principle I held dear trashed.

  • 'Shouldn't Be Allowed To Make Stuff Up': James Cleverly Left Stuttering Over His Migration Claims

    "It's invented, isn't it, James?" Labour's Yvette Cooper said.

  • George Conway Tells Trump What The Rest Of The World Really Thinks About Him

    He also revealed what will happen if Joe Biden provokes Trump at this week's debate.

  • Russia is crumbling from within

    On Sunday evening, the North Caucasus region of Dagestan was rocked by a series of brutal terrorist attacks. Gunmen opened fire in a synagogue in Derbent, graphically slit the throat of Russian Orthodox priest Father Nikolay, and attacked Jewish and Christian houses of worship in Dagestan’s largest city Makhachkala. These brutal crimes claimed the lives of at least 15 people, including police officers.

  • US, Russia defense chiefs speak as tensions rise over Crimea attack

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. and Russian defense chiefs spoke by telephone on Tuesday in rare communication between the two powers and with tensions rising after Moscow blamed Washington for a deadly Ukraine attack over the weekend on the Russian-annexed Crimea. The two sides gave widely divergent accounts of the conversation - the first one between U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russia's new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, who replaced Sergei Shoigu in May.

  • A Russian soldier's killing of a wounded comrade highlights the 'brutal culture' rampant inside Russia's military, war analysts say

    Experts called out the callous behavior within the Russian armed forces after drone footage showed a soldier shooting a wounded comrade.

  • Trump, progressives suffer a rough night: 5 takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries

    Tuesday’s contests in Colorado, New York, South Carolina and Utah saw the first incumbent House Democrat to lose in a primary this cycle, along with several losses for Trump-endorsed candidates. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party suffered a major blow when Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) lost to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate,…

  • Will voting Reform put Labour in power? Check your postcode

    “A vote for Reform is a vote for Labour.”

  • Who will you vote for in the general election? Tell us what you think

    With just over a week to go until the general election, have you made your mind up yet?

  • Iran's supreme leader warns sole reformist in presidential race, while calling for 'maximum' turnout

    Iran's supreme leader issued a thinly veiled warning Tuesday to the sole reformist candidate in the country's upcoming presidential election, saying anyone who believes “all ways to progress” come from the United States shouldn't be supported. While often speaking in parables like many Iranian politicians, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared to directly undercut the candidacy of 69-year-old heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian, who has aligned himself with officials from the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani. Rouhani helped reach Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord Pezeshkian has fully embraced in contrast with his five hard-line opponents, who want an agreement fully on Iran's terms.

  • Trump has spent months painting Biden as incompetent. Now he's changing his tone before the debate

    After months of casting President Joe Biden as a shell of a man incapable of putting two sentences together, Donald Trump has changed his tune days before their first debate. The changed rhetoric marks a dramatic shift from how Trump typically describes the man he will face in a rematch this November. At his rallies and in speeches, Trump typically casts the Democratic incumbent as a “low-IQ individual” who is “the worst, most incompetent, and most corrupt president” in the nation’s history, and often imitates Biden appearing lost on stage.

  • Biden administration moves toward allowing American military contractors to deploy to Ukraine

    The Biden administration is moving towards lifting a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine, four US officials familiar with the matter told CNN, to help the country’s military maintain and repair US-provided weapons systems.

  • ‘Their manifesto is like a wishlist’: How Reform seduced Gen Z

    Nathan Hobbs has been arguing with his sister about politics lately. She is 22, has a progressive outlook and, like most young voters, is likely to vote either Labour or Liberal Democrat at the General Election. Nathan, a 19-year-old student, disagrees with her and doesn’t fit the mould of much of his peer group either. He is planning to vote Reform UK on July 4. “There’s a real split [between us],” he says of the siblings’ divergence in political opinion. “She dislikes Nigel Farage.”

  • Exclusive-Trump handed plan to halt US military aid to Kyiv unless it talks peace with Moscow

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Two key advisers to Donald Trump have presented him with a plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine - if he wins the Nov. 5 presidential election - that involves telling Ukraine it will only get more U.S. weapons if it enters peace talks. The United States would at the same time warn Moscow that any refusal to negotiate would result in increased U.S. support for Ukraine, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, one of Trump's national security advisers, said in an interview. Under the plan drawn up by Kellogg and Fred Fleitz, who both served as chiefs of staff in Trump's National Security Council during his 2017-2021 presidency, there would be a ceasefire based on prevailing battle lines during peace talks, Fleitz said.

  • Inflation rises to 4%, stoking concern interest rates could increase again

    The consumer price index increased to its highest level in 2024, indicating the Reserve Bank is unlikely to cut interest rates soon

  • Britain’s paltry savings are in Labour’s crosshairs

    There’s little more than a week to go before the almost inevitable handover of power from the Conservatives to Labour, and still it’s hard to make out precisely what to expect from the new government.

  • 'Are You A Betting Man?': Sky News Presenter Leaves Top Tory Squirming Over Gambling Scandal

    The controversy is intensifying with the election just 10 days away.

  • France elections: Germans prepare for seismic change in EU politics

    As France gears up for the shocking snap elections that French President Emmanuel Macron called during the EU elections, Germans are preparing for a seismic change in EU politics.