Victory for Diversity: Black Actors Win All Four Musical Acting Awards at 2016 Tonys

Actors of color won big at the Tony Awards Sunday night, a counterpoint to the controversy that surrounded the Oscars nominating zero non-white stars earlier this year.

All four musical acting categories included a diverse group of nominees, and in the end four actors of color took the stage to accept their awards.

Three of the wins came from the cast of Hamilton: victories that weren’t entirely unexpected, given the musical’s predicted domination. Leslie Odom Jr. took home the trophy for best actor, while Daveed Diggs and Reneé Elise Goldsberry nabbed awards for their work in the acclaimed musical.

Frontrunner Cynthia Erivo won for her performance in the revival of The Color Purple, a victory that prompted tears from producer Oprah Winfrey.

Before any awards were handed out, host James Corden praised the diversity among the nominees – while ribbing presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

“Think of tonight as the Oscars, but with diversity,” Corden joked. “It’s so diverse, Donald Trump has threatened to build a wall around this theater.”