WELCOME BACK.

LET'S SAY HI TO JON BATISTE.

JON, I CANNOT KEEP UP WITH YOUR GOOD NEWS.

THIS MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN

KEEPING UP WITH YOUR NEWSPAPERS, JON BATISTE WAS NOMINATED FOR AN

OSCAR, AN ACADEMY AWARD FOR HIS WORK ON THE SCORE TO "SOUL" DOES

MY PIXAR'S NEW CLASSIC.

JON, CONGRATULATIONS.

>> Jon: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT IS SO SURREAL!

I'M JUST LETTING IT SOAK IN AND LETTING IT FLOW OUT.

♪♪♪ >> Stephen: WHERE WERE YOU

WHEN YOU FOUND OUT?

>> I WAS WALKING THE DOGS, AND THEN I GOT A BUNCH OF TEXT

MESSAGES, AND THEN I WAS, LIKE, OH, SOMETHING'S UP!

AND THAT'S WHEN I NEWEL HAVE THEY TOLD YOU, IS THERE GOING TO

BE ANY KIND OF CEREMONY?

BECAUSE IT'S NOT TILL APRIL.

>> Jon: DON'T KNOW YET.

HOPEFULLY, WE CAN BE TOGETHER IN PERSON, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE

CELEBRATING TILL THE CEREMONY NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

>> Stephen: FANTASTIC.

ALSO A COUPLE OF DAYS AWAY FROM THE RELEASE OF THE ALBUM, RIGHT?

>> Jon: YES, ON FRIDAY.

>> Stephen: MORE ON THAT TOMORROW.

JOIN US, FOLKS.

JON, CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN.

WELL DESERVED, EVERYTHING IS WELL DESERVED.

>> Jon: THANK YOU, STEPHEN.

LOVE YOU!

>> Stephen: LOVE YOU, TOO, JON.

AS YOU MAY KNOW, TODAY IS THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF ME DOING

MY SHOW IN THE BATHTUB BECAUSE WE HAD TO LEAVE THE ED SULLIVAN

THEATER DUE TO THIS THING YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT, THE

CORONAVIRUS.

BUT IT WASN'T JUST US.

IT HAS NOW BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE BROADWAY SUSPENDED ALL OF ITS

PLAYS AND MUSICALS.

THAT'S RIGHT.

IT'S BEEN-- ♪ FIVE HUNDRED

TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND ♪ SIX HUNDRED MINUTES

THAT'S ALL THE WORDS I ♪ KNOW OF THAT SONG ♪

IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH THAT SONG, IT'S FROM "RENT."

AND IF YOU'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH RENT, IT'S THE THING YOUR $1,400

STIMULUS CHECK IS GOING STRAIGHT TO.

AND OUR NEIGHBORS, ALL 41 BROADWAY THEATERS, HAVE HAD TO

REMAIN CLOSED SINCE LAST MARCH.

PROVING IT COULD BE HARDER TO GET HAMILTON TICKETS.

THE YEAR-LONG CLOSURE HAS DEVASTATED THE BROADWAY

COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WHEN THE THEATERS SHUT DOWN, SO DID MOST

OF THE INDUSTRY'S NEARLY 97,000 JOBS, INCLUDING THOSE OF

THOUSANDS OF BROADWAY ACTORS, SINGERS, AND DANCERS.

OR AS THEY'RE SOMETIMES CALLED, "HEY, WEREN'T YOU A CORPSE IN AN

EPISODE OF 'LAW AND ORDER'?" LUCKILY, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE

ACTORS FUND ARE DOING AMAZING WORK TO SUPPORT THE BROADWAY

COMMUNITY.

SINCE MARCH, THE ACTORS FUND HAS DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $20

MILLION IN EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO MORE THAN 15,000

PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER GROUP AFFECTED BY THE ONGOING BROADWAY

SHUTDOWN, AND NO ONE HAS GIVEN THEM THE SYMPATHY THEY DESERVE.

UNTIL NOW.

>> HELLO.

I'M BROADWAY LEGEND AND IT'S IN MY CONTRACT THAT THEY HAVE TO

LET ME CALL MYSELF THAT, LAURA BENANTI.

PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY FACE A TERRIFYING REALITY EVERY DAY

THIS DRAGS ON, LIVING WITH AN OUT OF WORK ACTOR.

>> I THINK I WANT TO GO GREEK FOR DINNER.

>> I STABBED OUT THESE EYES.

WHY SHOULD I HAVE EYES?

WHY WHEN NOTHING I SAW WAS WORTH SEEING?

NOTHING!

>> SO...

NOT GREEK.

>> WITH NO OTHER OUTLET FOR THEIR TALENTS, THESE ACTORS ARE

GIVING AT-HOME PERFORMANCES THE "NEW YORK TIMES" CALLS A

FAMILY'S WORST NIGHT MAYOR.

>> DAD, HOW DO YOU SPELL POTATO.

♪ MY SON, YOU ASK A QUESTION ♪ ♪ BECAUSE THE ANSWER YOU'RE

WITHOUT ♪ ♪ I COULD NOT SPELL FOR YOU

POTATO ♪ ♪ BUT MY CHILD YOU MUST SOUND --

IT -- OUT ♪ >> AND THE SITUATION IS ONLY

GETTING MORE DIRE, AS THESE PERFORMERS TURN FROM TRIPLE

THREATS INTO MERELY THREATS.

BUT IT'S NOT JUST FAMILIES AND ROOMMATES WHO ARE AFFECTED, IT'S

ALSO, TO QUOTE SIR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, CATS.

>> MR. SCRUFFLES.

MR. SCRUFFLES?

OH, ( BLEEP ), NOT AGAIN.

>> NO!

NO MORE CATS!

>> MEOW!

BUT YOU CAN HELP STOP THE CYCLE.

GET THESE ACTORS BACK ON STAGE AND THESE POOR, INNOCENT PEOPLE

BACK TO -- WHATEVER IT IS NONACTORS DO.

I WANT TO SAY FILE REPORTS.

( CRYING ) >> WEAR A MASK.

SOCIAL DISTANCE.

♪ ♪

♪ GET THE VACCINE ♪ ♪ GET THE VACCINE, GET THE

VACCINE, GET THE VACCINE ♪ ♪ GET THE VACCINE.

>> GET THE VACCINE, GET THE VACCINE, GET THE VACCINE, GET

IT ♪ ♪ GET THE VACCINE ♪

♪ GET THE VACCINE, GET THE VACCINE, GET VACCINE, GET IT ♪

♪ GET THE VACCINE! ♪ [ APPLAUSE ]

>> AMAZING, HONEY, AMAZING, AMAZING!

>> CLAP FOR MOMMY, CLAM FOR MOMMY!

>> Stephen: BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE ACTORS DESPERATE FAMILY,

FRIENDS AND ROOMMATES FUND.

>> WE'RE CLAPPING FOR ME.

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU!

>> STEPHEN: THANKS TO LAURA BENANTI, CHRISTOPHER JACKSON,

AND ALL OF BROADWAY!

CAN'T WAIT UNTIL WE CAN BE WITH YOU AGAIN.

'TIL THEN, TO HELP, GO TO ACTORSFUND.ORG FOR MORE DETAILS.

AND I'M BEING TOLD NONE OF THE MONEY GOES TO PEOPLE WHO HAD SEX

WITH HARRY STYLES' BANANA PENIS.

AND IF YOU'RE WATCHING THIS ONLINE AND DON'T UNDERSTAND

THAT, GO WATCH THE MONOLOGUE!

IT WILL MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH RINGO STARR.

♪♪♪