Fans of Denzel Washington have taken to social media to express their dismay at the actor missing out on a Tony nomination.
Broadway’s biggest awards announced their nominations yesterday (May 1), with George Clooney and Nicole Scherzinger getting their first nods for the stage productions of Good Night And Good Luck and Sunset Boulevard respectively.
However, the current production of William Shakespeare’s Othello, starring Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, has been surprisingly left out. The show broke records as the highest grossing revival in Broadway history, making back its investment within nine weeks of its run (reports indicate only one out of five Broadway shows ever make their money back).
On X (formerly Twitter), fans posted about their surprise at the actor missing out, alongside some other recognisable names. “How ridiculous of the Tonys to snub Michelle Williams, Denzel Washington, Daniel Radcliffe and James Franco” they wrote.
How ridiculous of the Tonys to snub Michelle Williams, Denzel Washington, Daniel Radcliffe and James Franco.
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) April 29, 2014
One poster noted the issue with diversity in awards ceremonies, remarking: “Now they are snubbing DENZEL!!! Oh brother, where do we go from here, who is next??”
So many Black American actors/actresses are being snubbed and passed over for foreign actors, but now they are snubbing DENZEL!!! Oh brother, where do we go from here, who is next??
— Keisha Thais (@KeishaThais) May 2, 2025
Others expressed sheer disbelief, saying “I can’t believe that!” and “BOYCOTT”.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT 😟😟😟
— Alessandra Galeppi (@Alessandra95093) May 1, 2025
BOYCOTT
— Westbrook (@Westbrookjones_) May 2, 2025
It is not the first time that Washington has been snubbed for an award this year, as many believed he should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Gladiator II.
The actor, who has won two Academy Awards and a Tony in the past, said in February he was unbothered by missing out. “Listen, I’ve been around too long” he told the New York Times. “I’ve got – I don’t wanna say other fish to fry, but there’s a reality at this age. The beginning of wisdom is understanding. I’m getting wiser, working on talking less and learning to understand more – and that’s exciting”.
In fact, it was working on Othello that helped him get over the news. “I was sitting there smiling going: ‘Look at you. On the day you didn’t get a nomination for an Oscar, you’re working on Othello on Broadway’” he said.
Last month, Brian Cox criticised the reported $1000 ticket prices for Washington’s Othello, saying: “That’s wrong”.