Cole Escola, channeling Bernadette Peters, thanked fellow nominees in their speech for their history-making Tony Awards win for "Oh, Mary!"

Cole Escola accepts the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play award for "Oh, Mary!" from Sarah Paulson and Jean Smart during The 78th Annual Tony Awards on June 08, 2025. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

Star-playwright Cole Escola won the Best Actor in a Play Tony for their riotously funny work in the outlandish comedy “Oh, Mary!,” marking the first time a nonbinary performer has scored a Tony win for any play category for acting.

The two-time Tony winner reacted to the one-time Tony winner, who paid homage to Peters with their ensemble on Sunday.

Oregon native Cole Escola made history at the Tony Awards as the first openly nonbinary person to win best leading actor in a play for "Oh, Mary!"

Cole Escola won Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play at the 78th Annual Tony Awards on June 8, 2025 at Radio City Music Hall.

Peters wore a similar frothy blue gown to the 1999 ceremony, where she won the award for best leading actress.

Several Hollywood A-listers earned their first Tony nominations, including George Clooney for "Good Night, and Good Luck," Mia Farrow for "The Roommate," Bob Odenkirk for “Gleng