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Actor Denée Benton—best known for her stage roles in Into the Woods, Hamilton, and Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812—delivered a scathing critique of Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis during her appearance at the Tony Awards Sunday night.
The Florida native did not mince words as she likened DeSantis, who is also a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, to a Ku Klux Klan leader.
While addressing the Manhattan audience, Benton drew a mix of applause and gasps as she targeted the governor with her pointed remarks. She referred to him as the "Grand Wizard," a title associated with the highest-ranking leaders of the Ku Klux Klan.
You can watch the moment in the video below.
\u201cDen\u00e9e Benton calls Governor Ron DeSantis the "current grand wizard" of Florida at the #TonyAwards\u201d— The Hollywood Reporter (@The Hollywood Reporter) 1686534343
Benton made these comments while recognizing Jason Zembuch Young, a teacher from South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida. Young was honored with the Excellence in Theatre Education award from Carnegie Mellon University at the ceremony.
She said:
"Hi, I'm Denée Benton, actor and proud CMU alum."
"Earlier tonight, CMU and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award. And while I am certain that the current Grand Wizard… I'm sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida will be changing..."
"I am sure that he will changing the name of this following town immediately, we were honored to present this award to the truly incredible and life-changing Jason Zembuch Young, enhancing the lives at students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida."
It is evident that Benton's criticism is aimed at DeSantis' track record of imposing restrictions on classroom discussions in public schools, particularly those relating to race and the LGBTQ+ community. Her remarks also alluded to the seemingly outdated name of the Florida city.
Many applauded her for her remarks.
\u201c@THR I approve this message. Brava!!\u201d— The Hollywood Reporter (@The Hollywood Reporter) 1686534343
\u201c@albert1776 @THR Agreed. The Grand Wizard is a terrible human.\u201d— The Hollywood Reporter (@The Hollywood Reporter) 1686534343
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ SHEESH! The savagery!!\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1686534641
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ Absolutely love her for this!!\ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffd\ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffd\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1686534641
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ Welp. She ain't lying.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1686534641
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ That one caught me off guard. So good!!!\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1686534641
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ This was literally my favorite moment of the entire show lol \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffd\ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffd\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd\ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udffd\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1686534641
\u201c@Phil_Lewis_ It is always refreshing when one speaks the truth.\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1686534641
DeSantis has not responded to Benton's remarks.
In recent days, DeSantis—who has pledged to "destroy" the left and end "woke" politics if elected—has attempted to distance himself from former President Donald Trump, his biggest competition for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
DeSantis, who served in the military, said he "would’ve been court-martialed in a New York minute" for taking classified documents, referencing Trump's indictment on federal charges related to the theft of classified documents from the White House.