Performer and writer Cole Escola has posted a video to their Instagram stories explaining a comment they made after discovering Nicole Scherzinger had won a Tony.
Escola won the Tony Award on Sunday night for Best Leading Actor In A Play. They were backstage, talking to the press, when the announcement was made regarding who won the “Best Leading Actress In a Musical” award. It was Nicole Scherzinger.
Escola quipped “Wow. The speculating is over… Four years. Four more years.”
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Cole Escola reacts to Nicole Scherzinger winning a Tony last night:
“Four more years” pic.twitter.com/6OWKNgVKIK
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 9, 2025
Scherzinger controversy
Many took that as a reference to a controversy Scherzinger found herself in last November. The former Pussycat Doll had liked a post made by comedian Russell Brand. In it, Brand was wearing a red cap with the slogan “Make Jesus First Again” written on it. Brand captioned the post “God Bless America.”
“Where do I get this hat?” Scherzinger wrote in a now-deleted comment, alongside a prayer hands emoji and a red heart emoji.
Brand has spoken out in support of Donald Tr*mp. Some took Scherzinger’s comment as an indication of how she planned to vote in the then-upcoming election.
Scherzinger swiftly issued a clarification and apology saying her comment had been taken out of context. She said it was not a reflection of her political views but merely of her faith. She said she approved of the message “Make Jesus First Again.”
Escola’s “four more years” comment was seen by some as a dig at Scherzinger.
“People just want to pit us Broadway gals against each other”
In their video to clarify, Escola said, “When I made that joke, when I said, you know, well, ‘Four years. Four more years.’ I meant it like, well, she won, she’s who we’ve got for the next four years, as if I think winning Best Actress in a Musical is the same as winning a presidential election,” they explained.
“But, you know, people just want to pit us Broadway gals against each other. And I think it’s sad. I think it’s sad.”
cole escola clarifies their joke made about nicole scherzinger pic.twitter.com/4OWK73oqVH
— Norma Dykemond (@miladydewinter) June 10, 2025
Cole Escola explains their alleged joke about Nicole Scherzinger winning Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the Tony Awards pic.twitter.com/blBtUxszxe
— Portal Nicole Scherzinger (@PortalNicole) June 10, 2025
Escola ends by saying their only real beef is with Michael Arden, the director of Maybe Happy Ending. Many took this as another joke. Maybe Happy Ending was one of Sunday night’s big winners and scooped six Tony Awards. Oh, Mary — written by and starring Escola — won two.
Bernadette Peters
Escola turned up at the Tonys on Sunday in an outfit many saw as an homage to actress and singer Bernadette Peters. Afterward, internet sleuths discovered that it wasn’t the first time Escola had aped the Broadway icon. Check out a YouTube video they made 16 years ago dressed as Peters.
16 years ago on youtube… life comes at you fast… https://t.co/fRUwYxP9lr pic.twitter.com/FBvyMTss94
— tyler oakley (twitch.tv/tyleroakley) (@tyleroakley) June 9, 2025
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