Ron DeSantis called 'Grand Wizard' at Tony Awards
Florida’s Governor wasn’t up for a Tony Award Sunday. But Ron DeSantis made news anyway.
Actor Denee Benton was presenting the 2023 Excellence in Theater Education Award to Jason Zembuch Young, a teacher from Plantation, when she couldn’t resist getting in a jab at the Florida Governor.
“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 the name of this following town immediately,” Benton, a native of Eustis who has been nominated for a Tony in the past, said to raucous applause.
The actor’s “Grand Wizard” reference was pejorative, likening DeSantis to the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and playing off the meaning o...
