Neil Patrick Harris’ triumphant return as host of this year’s Tony Awards was marred by shocking allegations that he uttered the n-word during his high-energy performance of the night’s opening number.
Daily Mail was the first to call the beloved actor out on the flub, providing video and lyrics of Harris singing and dancing with boxing legend, Mike Tyson.
Daily Mail claimed that Harris sang, “And make things bigger, that’s right it’s bigger. I’m here with Iron Mike, he’s a heavyweight, yo. We’re going bigger, is I his n*gger?”
The words are a bit unintelligible due to the cheering audience and Harris being slightly out of breath.
However, the news site slowed the video down, played the lyric back and discovered the unfortunate word.
The actor’s rep adamantly denied that the n-word was uttered, saying, “Neil absolutely and unequivocally did not use derogatory language in the opening number of the Tony Awards.”
This allegation is an unfortunate misstep in an otherwise very successful evening for both Harris and the Tony Awards.
The LA Times reports that the show – which was held at the Radio City Music Hall – saw the highest viewer ratings since 2009.
This was Harris’ fourth time hosting the Tonys and once again his efforts received rave reviews.
One critic from the LA Times called him “invaluable” and “unshakeable.” He gushed that Harris “was never too long out of view, and when he was around, he was put to good use.”
It seems that Harris truly is unshakeable, both on and off the stage, as he is handling the n-word scandal calmly.
An incredulous Harris took to Twitter to dismiss the allegation.
He tweeted: “Really, Daily Mail?!? The N-word? That’s your story?!? I would NEVER be so disrespectful and frankly, neither should you.”