For Ariana DeBose, hosting the 75th Tony Awards was just as memorable as winning an Oscar.
The West Side Story star called the experience "a bucket list moment" in an exclusive interview with E! News' Daily Pop on the Tonys red carpet.
"It's one I didn't know I had, you know?" DeBose said about the hosting gig on June 12. "When they call and they're like, 'You're hosting the Tonys,' and you're like, 'That sounds like a great idea,' yeah, you go with it."
DeBose said she was "happy to be home" onstage after taking home the 2022 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. She was previously nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 2018 Tonys for her role as Donna Summer in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.
"This is all about fun, keeping it light, keeping it joyous and joyful," she said about the night. "This community deserves joy, it deserves to be celebrated—been through a lot."
Like Debose, Lin-Manuel Miranda recently fulfilled a "childhood dream" of his, as he performed alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber at Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Concert on June 4.
"I auditioned for the sixth-grade play with Phantom of the Opera, so that alone was very surreal," Miranda told Daily Pop. "But it was kinda like tonight, honestly. It was like the cast of SIX and the cast of Hamilton exchanging pounds, and The Lion King warming up next to you."
This year's awards ceremony was a special one for Glee alum Lea Michele, who reunited with the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening for a special performance in honor of the show's 15th anniversary.
"We have so many incredible fans who have supported us for so many years," she said on the red carpet. "But what has been so great about all of this is introducing Spring Awakening to this generation. Our documentary, Spring Awakening: Those You've Known—to see so many people who have never seen the show say how wonderful it was and how much it impacted them."
Check out the full list of 2022 Tony Award winners here.