The original “Hamilton” cast reunited for a special, 10-year anniversary performance at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday, and social media users are convinced that it contained a few pointed political messages.
Led by “Hamilton” creator and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda, the performance was a medley of songs from the hit Broadway show, including “My Shot,” “Non-Stop,” “You’ll Be Back” and “Guns and Ships.” It is not the performance’s selection of songs that viewers have keyed into online, though.
Miranda & Co., notably, wore all-black outfits for the performance, and TikTok user @irving.torres argued that they did so intentionally because they wanted to signify that they are “mourning the loss of the ideal democracy from 2015” when “Hamilton” first premiered and President Obama was still in office.
@irving.torres What a powerful statement #hamilton #hamiltonmusical @Hamilton ♬ original sound – Irving Torres
The only “Hamilton” cast member who wore a color onstage that was not black was Jonathan Groff, who briefly reprised his role as King George III wearing a red blazer. Fans online have theorized that the color red was chosen for Groff’s outfit as not only a nod to his “Hamilton” character, but also President Trump and his king-like delusions of grandeur.
“The OG ‘Hamilton’ cast wearing all black & Jonathan Graff coming out with a red jacket & only singing the da-da-dats is giving VERY intentional,” one user wrote on Threads. “I don’t wanna hear your takes that it’s ‘just theater black’ or that it was ‘last minute’ cause it’s not.”
Others have argued that the performance’s stage design may have been a nod to The White House. Many more, meanwhile, agree that the cast’s decision to include the line “history has its eyes on you” near the end of their Tony medley was likely both a message to President Trump and a reference to America’s current, turbulent political landscape.
Whether you believe all of these theories or not, it is worth noting that “Hamilton” is not only a musical filled with political ideas and themes, but that its cast members have also never shied away from sending political messages.
In 2016, then-members of the musical’s cast delivered a message directly to then Vice President-elect Mike Pence as he was sitting in attendance. “We truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and to work on behalf of all of us,” actor Brandon Victor Dixon said that night. Trump later decried the moment, writing on X, “The cast of ‘Hamilton’ was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!” (Pence has since disavowed Trump and refused to endorse him in 2024.)
In March, the show’s producers canceled its scheduled spring 2026 run at the Kennedy Center after Trump’s post-inauguration takeover of the performing arts institution. Miranda defended the decision to do so, saying at the time, “The Kennedy Center was not created in this spirit, and we’re not going to be a part of it while it is the Trump Kennedy Center.”
