Actor Cole Escola won a coveted 2025 Tony Award Sunday for the role of Mary Todd Lincoln in “Oh Mary!” played in drag.
Escola, a biological male, said he was “non-binary” in 2022, according to Out Magazine.
The actor played the role of the former first lady while dressed in drag, and Escola effectively managed to beat out George Clooney, Jon Michael Hill, Daniel Dae Kim, Henry Lennix and Louis McCartney to win the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play.
Escola became the “first openly non-binary winner in the category,” according to CBS News.
Saying I’m obsessed with Cole Escola (and this look!!!!!) wouldn’t even begin to cover it. #TonyAwards pic.twitter.com/vvz19wPAhj
— MTV (@MTV) June 8, 2025
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 08: Cole Escola poses with the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play award for “Oh, Mary!” during The 78th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
“Oh, Mary!” is a dark comedy about the struggles Mary Todd Lincoln faced in the weeks leading up to President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
Escola wasted no time basking in the glory of the win.
“It’s really overwhelming that it’s come this far. Now I’m here with my little Tonys pins,” the actor told CBS News New York’s Dave Carlin after the nominations were announced.
The actor gloated about the opportunity to dress up as a historically important female and the creative aspects that evolved through the overhaul of Todd’s character.
“I had the idea of what if Abraham Lincoln’s assassination wasn’t such a bad thing for Mary Todd, and then I sort of worked my way backwards from that and thought about what she might have wanted, and what’s the stupidest possible thing she could’ve wanted, which I landed on being a cabaret star,” Escola told CBS News.
“Why not? You can do anything in theater.”
Escola admitted that the Mary Todd Lincoln House, a museum of the former first lady’s house, supported the play by sending the cast t-shirts.
“Hopefully, at least some of the audience is learning something after they see our show,” Escola said.
“People are wanting something that’s surprising,” the actor told CBS News. (RELATED: Oppenheimer Star Emma Dumont Takes Gender Ideology Nonsense To New Level)
It’s certainly surprising to see the former first lady’s life mimicked by a man in drag, so points for “surprising” were earned.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
