A Missoula Actor Walked Away With a Tony Award Last Night

Last night, the 75th Annual Tony Awards took place, and they were back at full strength for the first time in three years. The show couldn't take place in 2020 due to the pandemic, and while the show returned in 2021, Broadway wasn't fully back yet - meaning the nominations list was a lot slimmer than it would normally be.

But when host Ariana DeBose kicked things off with a huge celebration of Broadway and a fun mash-up of some of musical theater's biggest hits, it was clear that the Tony's were ready to make their comeback.

And, if you were watching in Missoula, there was an extra thing to get excited about - a Missoula-born actor actually won an award at the Tonys last night.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson Won the Tony For Best Performance By a Featured Actor in a Play

Yes, Jesse Tyler Ferguson - who most people probably know best as Mitchell on Modern Family - won his first Tony last night for his work in the play Take Me Out. He beat out other actors such as Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), previous Tony winner Chuck Cooper, Ron Cephas Jones (This is Us), Michael Oberholtzer, and Jesse Williams (Gray's Anatomy).

Take Me Out also ended up winning Best Revival of a Play that same evening.

If you weren't aware, Jesse Tyler Ferguson was actually born in Missoula, though his family moved to Albuquerque when he was still very young. He was nominated for a few Emmys over the course of Modern Family's run, but never won - so it's very cool to see him getting some recognition for this role!