Broadway Cares’ 2026 annual “Broadway Bares” event has reached a new fundraising milestone. The event, which was held at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 21, brought in a total of $2,534,428 to benefit the nonprofit, breaking last year’s record of $2,447,967. That includes a record $1,251,972 raised by Stripathon, an online fundraising event led by the “Broadway Bares” cast and crew.
This year’s fundraiser, entitled “Broadway Bares: License to Strip,” centered on a group of secret agents, played by “Hadestown”’s J. Harrison Ghee, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”’s DeMarius Copes, “Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody”’s Jimin Moon and “Kinky Boots” original cast member Joey Taranto, as they competed to stop a rogue AI from destroying Broadway. The book for this year’s show was written by Hunter Bell, Steven Cutts and Troy Britton Johnson, with an opening number, “Top Secret,” by Amanda Green and Lynne Shankel.
The evening also featured performances by 2026 Tony Award winners Shoshana Bean and Qween Jean, along with Tony nominee Layton Williams, Taurean Everett, Frankie Grande, Sydney James Harcourt, Michael Graceffa, Keely Beirne, Jessica White, Alice Reis, Nika Lindsay, Ricardo A. Zayas, John Juan Mercado, Tony d’Alelio, Michell Tobin, Cajai Kennedy, Khasan Brailsford, Chance Hoover, Matt Wiercinski, MiMi Scardulla, Milena J. Comeau, Jenny Mollet, Emma Sofia, Preston Taylor and Aydin Eyikan.
The full cast of 230 dancers drew from 18 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, including “11 to Midnight,” “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Aladdin,” “The Book of Mormon,” “Buena Vista Social Club,” “CATS: The Jellicle Ball,” “Death Becomes Her,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Hadestown,” “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” “Just in Time,” “The Lion King,” “Masquerade,” “MJ,” “Moulin Rouge!,” “The Outsiders,” “Ragtime” and “Wicked.” 2026’s “Broadway Bares” was supported by presenting sponsor MAC Viva Glam and lead corporate sponsor ViiV Healthcare.
Since its inception in 1992, “Broadway Bares” has raised a total of $33.6 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a nonprofit charitable organization that supports healthcare, family service, social services and other causes nationwide. In addition to performances like “Broadway Bares,” “Broadway Bets” and “Broadway Backwards,” Broadway Cares also raises funds through the annual Broadway Flea Market and its twice-yearly Red Bucket initiative.
