Did Whoopi Goldberg and Kevin Spacey just come out during the Tony Awards?
They’re two stars who have constantly faced speculation and rumours about their respective sexualities.
And they both made hilarious references to this constant chatter in the opening number of the Tony Awards last night.
Kevin Spacey, who was hosting the 71st edition of the ceremony, was searching around the stage for help in leading such a prestigious event.
Suddenly, Whoopi Goldberg – one of the few people to have won an EGOT (an Emmy, a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a Tony) – popped out of a cupboard.
“Whoopi, how long have you been in that closet?” Spacey quipped.
After several seconds of laughter and cheering from the audience, Goldberg responded.
“Well Kevin, it depends on who you ask.”
Later in the 12-minute opening number, the floating head of Billy Crystal told Spacey, 57, that “if all else fails, put on a dress!”
Playing Norma Desmond from the classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, he started the song As If We Never Said Goodbye with “I’m coming out…”
“No, wait, no,” he said after a comedic pause.
The host recalibrated, and continued.
“I’m going into make-up,” he sang, using a phrase with slightly less subtext.
The awards show was a success for Bette Midler, who won the Tony for best performance by a lead actress in a musical.
Her musical Hello, Dolly! picked up four wins on the night, after being nominated for ten awards.
In 2006, Spacey was named as a prominent gay man in a report funded by the Department of Education.
The report, which formed part of a series of lesson plans to be used in schools, included Spacey in a list of prominent gay men including writer Oscar Wilde and TV presenters Graham Norton and Dale Winton.
An apology was subsequently offered for the mistake.
In 2010, the actor compared media interest in his sexuality to anti-gay bullying.
The House of Cards star said: “People have different reasons for the way they live their lives.
“You cannot put everyone’s reasons in the same box.
“It’s just a line I’ve never crossed and never will.”
Watch the full opening number below:
