[Read the highlights from the 2019 Tony Awards.]

It was the sole award for “Network,” which had five nominations.

Wow. Finally a straight old white man gets a break. To all the producers of “Network,” especially the National Theater in London, where it all started, thank you. Thank you to Mark Subias and Danny Raggett and Bill Timoney and all the stage management people that we have — Tim and Sherry, Ray and everybody backstage who touches me in more ways than one. Not in a # MeToo way, but really in a lovely way. And that’s Tim and Mikey and Anna Marie and Cat and Noor. Thank you all very much. Lee Hall just adapted a magnificent play from a masterpiece by Paddy Chayefsky. It was then given to Ivo van Hove and his crazy unpredictable wonderfulness and his entire creative team just made a mesmerizing theatrical experience for us all. Especially the actors. We have a company that I worked with that are some of the finest human beings I’ve ever been associated with. I will miss you greatly. To my lovely wife, Robin, who always wanted me, encouraged me, to go be mad as hell every night, but just don’t bring it home.

Now, Howard Beale is a fictitious TV newsman who found his way in the line of fire because of his pursuit of the truth. And I would like to dedicate this to all the real journalists around the world, both in the press — the print media — and the broadcast media, who actually are in the line of fire with their pursuit of the truth. The media is not the enemy of the people. Demagoguery is the enemy of the people. Thank you very much. Goodnight.