Who is Denée Benton, the actress who called out Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Tonys?

Florida governor-turned-presidential candidate Ron DeSantis received a shout-out from the stage of the Tony Awards Sunday night, but it was anything but an endorsement.

Actress Denée Benton elicited the biggest gasps of the evening from the audience at the United Palace in New York City when she compared DeSantis to a Ku Klux Klan leader in her presentation of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award from Carnegie Mellon University.

The award was presented to a teacher at Florida’s South Plantation High School in Florida.

What did Denée Benton say about Ron DeSantis at the Tonys?

Here’s what Benton said during the Tonys’ live prime-time broadcast on CBS:

"Earlier tonight, CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) and the Tony Awards presented the 2023 Excellence in Theatre Education Award. And while I am certain that the current Grand Wizard  —  I’m sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida will be changing  —  I'm sure that he will be changing the name of this following town immediately. We were honored to present this award to the truly incredible and life-changing Jason Zembuch Young, enhancing the lives of students at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida."

Benton's comments weren't the only ones to address political attitudes related to so-called culture war issues related to race or gender by those presenting or accepting awards at a show produced without the assistance of striking television writers.

Actress Marcia Gay Harden, who was a presenter, introduced herself by saying "Good evening. I’m Marcia  —  and no matter what state we’re in, we can always say  —  Gay Harden."

That’s a reference to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, signed into law by DeSantis in 2022. Dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law by critics, it prohibits classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

Florida schools: GOP star Ron DeSantis is overhauling education policy in Florida

In May, DeSantis signed into law an expansion of that bill that prohibits sexual orientation or gender identity instruction in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, restricts reproductive health education in sixth through 12th grade, and requires that reproductive health instruction “be age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”

The 2024 Republican presidential hopeful has incurred the ire of the Broadway and Hollywood entertainment industries for his harsh attitude toward the LGBTQ community, as well as his ongoing battle with the Walt Disney Co. over its special tax district and other changes to education curriculum that include blocking African American studies.

Twitter reacts to Denée Benton’s DeSantis remark

There had been no reaction to the speech from the DeSantis camp on Twitter by Monday morning.

Others had plenty to say about it, however.

“It was fantastic. And accurate,” tweeted Victoria Brownworth, a journalist.

But not everyone was cheering the gesture, however.

“And that is why nobody gives a crap about the Tonys or any other ‘look how great we are’ awards show,” tweeted M. Miller, who describes himself as a “constitutional conservative.” “Just take your award, thank your Mama and go away. NOBODY CARES!”

Who is Denée Benton, actress who called out Ron DeSantis at Tonys?

Born Dec. 31, 1991, Benton spent her childhood in central Florida, where she was raised in the Lake County city of Eustis and attended Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 2014.

In interviews, she has stated that she was first inspired to act after seeing a production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” as a child.

After a role in the national touring cast of “The Book of Mormon,” Benton gained her first major recognition in the title role of Natasha in “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” making her Broadway debut when the musical based on Leo Tolstoy’s “War & Peace” opened at the Imperial Theatre in 2016.

It yielded Benton a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical.

Benton played Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway production of “Hamilton” for a stint that ran from Oct. 30, 2018, to Feb. 24, 2019. Her credits also include TV acting roles in Lifetime’s drama series “UnREAL” and a starring role as Peggy Scott in HBO’s historical drama “The Gilded Age.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: DeSantis called Grand Wizard during Denee Benton's Tony Award speech