“It’s alright” - George Clooney reacts to being called “up and comer” during 2025 Tony awards monologue

Film actor George Clooney, who made his Broadway debut in 2025, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. While hosting the Tony Awards on June 8, Cynthia Erivo made sure to jokingly remind audiences that Clooney was new to Broadway.

According to US Weekly, Clooney reacted to Erivo’s playful digs at the actor’s relative inexperience on Broadway, and while smiling and shrugging, mouthed,

“It’s alright.”

US Weekly reported that Erivo had lauded all the first-time nominees at the awards show, and said,

“Featuring first-time nominees like Cole Escola, Sadie Sink, Louis McCartney.”

Paying special attention to Clooney, the publication noted that Erivo joked,

“…and an up-and-comer that I think you’re going to be hearing a lot about: George Clooney…Good for you, George. Things are going your way, I like it a lot for you.”

About George Clooney’s Broadway debut

George Clooney debuted his Broadway acting with the historical drama Good Night and Good Luck. The David Cromer-directed play is based on Clooney’s film with the same name, which was adapted for the stage by the actor and Grant Heslov. As per Playbill, Clooney played the role of journalist Edward R. Murrow, who enters into a conflict with Senator Joseph McCarthy.

Back in February, Clooney shared his experience of acting in the play with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Describing the play’s narrative, Clooney said,

“It is a story about one of the great broadcast journalists from here, CBS, back in the hey-day, in the 1950s and he was very well-known and respected because of his work during World War II. And he was considered the most trusted man in American.”

Explaining the great work done by the real-life Murrow, Clooney said,

“It was during the McCarthy era and he took on McCarthy and was one of the people and his shows were instrumental in holding truth to power, which I think is always relevant in life…it cost him his job ultimately but, but he did it.”

When asked on The Late Show if memorizing lines is easy for him as he co-wrote the play, Clooney said,

“It’s a nightmare! Look, come on, I don’t remember my kids’ names. I’m 62!”

Recalling that memorizing lines was easier earlier in his career, Clooney said,

“Now I can’t remember anything. Honest to God, you know, literally, these are very famous speeches that Murrow wrote, and I start to do them and I just sit there going, 'Uhhh...I don’t, I don’t remember’…It's sheer panic.”

Clooney also told Colbert that acting live is completely different than acting for the cameras. He added,

“It's a very different beast. Yeah, I'm scared!”

Good Night, and Good Luck’s success on Broadway

George Clooney’s Broadway debut with Good Night, and Good Luck broke records. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the play earned $4.2 million during one week in May and broke the record for the highest weekly gross for a Broadway production.

Slate Magazine reported that the production, which played to packed audiences during its run, was broadcast live on CNN and also streamed on Max and on CNN’s website for free. The live broadcast happened during one of the show’s last performances and greatly expanded the reach of the Broadway production.