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Kara Young won the 2025 Tony for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play at the 78th Annual Tony Awards, held at Radio City Music Hall June 8.

Young won for her performance as Aziza Houston in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Purpose, which recently extended its Broadway run through August 31 at the Hayes. Phylicia Rashad directs.

"In this world that [is] so divided, theatre is ... a safe, a sacred space that we have to honor and cherish, and it makes us united," said Young while accepting her win, becoming the first Black actor in Broadway history to win awards in back-to-back Tonys.

READ: Actors Who Have Received Back-to-Back Tonys; Kara Young and Jonathan Groff Could Join Them

Others in the category included Tala Ashe (English), Jessica Hecht (Eureka Day), Marjan Neshat (English), and Fina Strazza (John Proctor Is the Villain).

Phylicia Rashad and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Collaborate to Find Purpose

Purpose, nominated for six 2025 Tony Awards, including Best Play, follows an Illinois family of civil rights leaders, pastors, and congressmen—pillars of Black American politics—with secrets lying just beneath the surface. The youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend (Young) that ultimately forces the family to reckon with itself, their faith, and the legacies of Black radicalism. The play also won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Young also won the 2024 Tony for Featured Actress in a Play for her work as Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins in the Broadway revival of Ossie Davisâ€� Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch. She was also Tony-nominated for her work on Broadway in Martina Majok’s Cost of Living and Lynn Nottage’s °ä±ô²â»å±ð’s. (Young has been Tony-nominated four consecutive years in a row beginning in 2022.) Her screen credits include I'm a Virgo and Hair Wolf.

READ: How to Watch and Stream the 2025 Tony Awards With or Without Cable

Check °ëµºÌåÓý throughout the evening for the latest in Tony Awards coverage, including photos from the red carpet, a continually updated list of winners, analysis from °ëµºÌåÓý's theatre experts, and more.

For more about the Tony Awards, visit °ëµºÌåÓý.com/Tonys.

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Photos: Purpose on Broadway

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