The Broadway League Foundation has named Bowen Yang the host of the 17th annual National High School Musical Theatre Awards, also known as the Jimmy Awards. As previously announced, the ceremony will take place on June 22 at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bowen Yang as host of the 2026 Jimmy Awards,” said Broadway League president Jason Laks in a statement. “Bowen’s creativity, humor and enthusiasm for the talent on the Jimmy Awards stage make him an ideal champion for this program. Through his work across television, film, podcasting and live entertainment, he has built a unique career that reflects the power of talent, authenticity and originality. We are excited for our nominees from across the country to share the stage with him as we celebrate their achievements and recognize the next generation of theater artists.”
Yang, an actor, comedian and writer, has been nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, all for writing or acting on the long-running sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live.” On the big screen, he appeared as Pfannee in both parts of the “Wicked” film adaptation. Yang also co-hosts the pop-culture podcast “Las Culturistas” with Matt Rogers, both of whom serve as co-producers of Broadway’s “Titaníque.” Their Las Culturistas Culture Awards will be broadcast on Bravo and Peacock on June 17. Later this year, Yang will be heard as a voice in Warner Brothers’ animated movie “The Cat in the Hat.”
Jimmy Awards participants are selected through 58 regional awards programs, which celebrate high school musical theater students in their local communities and send a pair of local winners to the national awards. Each regional awards program sponsors two student performers to travel to and participate in the Jimmy Awards.
During the ceremony, the panel of judges will grant awards and scholarships to high school students from throughout the U.S., including awards for Best Performance by an Actor and Best Performance by an Actress. The evening will also feature solo and ensemble performances by students.
The 17th annual Jimmy Awards will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on June 22. The ceremony will also be livestreamed, and the recording will remain available online for three days after the ceremony. A limited number of tickets are available via lottery through June 10. Further details about the ceremony, including livestreaming information, will be announced.
The Jimmys were founded in 2009 by Nederlander Alliances LLC, Pittsburgh CLO and Broadway Education Alliance. By its own declaration, the mission of the awards is to “advance a national conversation about the importance of arts education, honor teachers and their schools’ commitment to performing arts education and contribute to the development of future arts workers and audiences for live performing arts in communities across America.” The Jimmys are not only an awards ceremony. Presented by the Broadway League Foundation, the program is a 10-day theater intensive — which includes coaching sessions and training with Broadway professionals, rehearsals for the ceremony and additional programming — culminating in the June 22 ceremony. Since its founding, 90 Jimmys alumni have gone on to perform on Broadway or in national tours.
Read more about the history of the Jimmy Awards:
Ruthie Fierberg
