Tony Awards 2024 Blue Carpet: Guess Who Wore Crocs

Ariana DeBose hosted for a third time and performed a very bad opening number. But Cynthia Erivo, Elle Fanning, Nicole Scherzinger, and more, gave us lots to cheer for on the red (technically blue!) carpet.

By Lauren Tousignant | June 17, 2024 | 12:29pm

Photos: Getty Images Entertainment

Sunday night was the 77th annual Tony Awards and wow, was that one of the worst opening numbers I’ve ever seen. Ariana DeBose hosted for a third time and, even though I think she’s immensely talented, she just doesn’t do it for me as a host. I’m sorry! She opened the 2022 Tony Awards with a song titled “This Is Your Round of Applause,” which was fine. The 2023 Tony Awards took place during the WGA strike and, in solidarity with the writers, was completely unscripted. But, despite no opening number and no original song, it was pretty spectacular. They mashed up a bunch of Broadway melodies and DeBose twirled and sashayed through Radio City Music Hall; it was big, colorful, fun, and very in the spirit of everything that makes Broadway so intoxicating. And it deservingly received a standing ovation. Unfortunately, this year’s opening number felt like they fed an AI the lyrics from 2022’s opening number and said, I guess this works. The song is seemingly titled “This Party’s For You” (if you’ll remember from one paragraph ago, 2022’s number was titled “This Is Your Round of Applause”) and includes the lyrics, “Maybe you had to fight/but you’re here tonight/you made it through.” OK??? DeBose did not receive a standing ovation for this one. And I don’t look forward to 2025’s opening number which will probably be titled, “This Is Your Night.” I still get chills from Neil Patrick Harris’s 2013 opening number and am eager for the year they’re able to top it but maybe every generation only gets one truly magnificent opening number, and Harris’s is that opening number for millennials. Anyway, sorry for being such a hater; it was a lovely evening with a lot of lovely moments. Now for the moment you’ve been waiting for, the Tony Awards 2024 red (technically blue) carpet, featuring for the first time ever, a pair of crocs!

Maleah Joi Moon

I really fucking love this and I’d love it even more if it wasn’t a dress with shoulder-length gloves and was, instead, a full-on silver-scaled, slithering-siren bodysuit. But that’s me.

Ashley Park

Mindy Chen could never. Because she wouldn’t be caught dead in something lacking pattern, color, sequins, ruffles, etc., etc.

Nicole Scherzinger

I’m so happy Nicole brought some color to the carpet and I cannot wait for the day Broadway decides to cast her in something that will win her a fucking Tony.

Rachel McAdams

I am only forgiving this basic of a dress because the play McAdams is nominated for is so devastating and so heart-wrenching, that I think it’d feel disrespectful if she wore anything else other than the simplest piece of black fabric.

Taraji P. Henson

Choked on my tongue.

Elle Fanning

I won’t lie, I literally gasped.

Taylor Tomlinson

I won’t lie, Taylor should fire her stylist.

Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor

I’m always surprised when the theater kids who grew up to be theater adults don’t use a red carpet to go all out. Sarah Paulsen can and has done a lot better and I am disappointed.

Kara Young

This is giving Taylor Swift’s folklore section of The Eras Tours. Some people will hate this comparison but I love it!!!!

Jessica Lange

If I were Jessica Lange, I’d always walk around dripping in jewels because that’s what royalty is meant to do. This dress needed a giant-ass necklace with a humongous ruby.

Sarah Pidgeon

I am feeling weirdly enraged that she walked the carpet as a nominee for Best Featured Actress in a Play, for her debut Broadway role in a show about an up-and-coming 1970s rock band, and chose to wear such a simple black gown that I literally could make it out of two Abercrombie & Fitch satin dresses.

Erin Darke and Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel’s big smile has the energy of Jake Shane, the TikToker who does all those hilarious historical reenactments. I don’t know what we can do with this information but I can’t unsee it.

Vivienne Jolie and Angelina Jolie

Ah, to be a nepo baby and get your first Broadway producer credit (sorry, “producer’s assistant” credit) when you’re 15.

Cynthia Erivo

Every time this woman walks a red carpet, my cells feel rejuvenated and my hope for the world restored.

Ariana DeBose

Her opening number sucked but she nailed picking out a red carpet dress!!

Alicia Keys

Pretty! That’s it.

Idina Menzel

I love a dress that triggers my trypophobia. My skin will be crawling for the rest of the week.

Amber Iman

When I say, Why don’t all these theater kids turned theater adults go bigger on the red carpet? this is what I wish they were wearing. Best look of the night, IMO.

Julianne Hough

This is somehow the same exact dress Julianne wears on every red carpet.

Lena Waithe

She looks like someone I’d follow around at a house party because I really want to meet her but am way too intimidated to say hi and so she eventually asks the host if I can leave because I’m starting to freak her out.

Shaina Taub

This feels like an appropriate look for the writer and star of Suffs: a musical I did not hate but did not love but keep thinking about, particularly the musical number about Alice Paul being force-fed in prison.

Billy Porter

As always, thank you so much, Billy Porter.

Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields can do whatever she wants!

Brooke Shields in Crocs!

Like wear giant, yellow, Big Bird crocs on a red carpet!!!!