Tony Awards host P!nk brought an iconic pop culture reference from 25 years ago to 2026’s ceremony, opening the televised show with a leading lady-themed remake of “Lady Marmalade.” Megan Thee Stallion, who recently took an early exit from her run in Moulin Rouge, took the stage next to P!nk in her Broadway costume and reworked Lil’ Kim’s rap from the 2001 pop supergroup single during Sunday night’s (June 7) lively performance.

The parody of “Lady Marmalade” (based on the song P!nk once recorded with Lil’ Kim, Christina Aguilera and Mya) was referred to as “Leading Lady Marmalade,” and had P!nk highlighting several of Broadway’s best in the tune’s “gitchie, gitchie” chorus.

Lea Michele, who wasn’t nominated for an award this year, also joined in for a cameo to hit Xtina’s big vocal note from the original “Lady Marmalade,” but swapped in a fitting lyric, all things considered: “We don’t do it for the awards.”

June Squibb, nominated in the best performance by an actress in a featured role in a play and seated in the front row at Radio City Music Hall, also had a scene-stealing moment. When the mic was pointed her way, Squibb — who’s the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history — quipped to the tune of “Mocha Chocolata, ya-ya“: “All the parts I’ve played, I’ve slayed ’em.”

Backed by a full-stage ensemble that included familiar faces like Broadway’s Dylan Mulvaney, Shoshana Bean, Neil Patrick Harris and more, the opening number ended with a soaring “Welcome to the Tony Awards!” from P!nk.

Harris, who’s had several turns hosting the awards ceremony himself, had helped P!nk lead into the “Leading Lady Marmalade” scene after the pop star first made an entrance spinning in the air, dressed as Peter Pan.

P!nk had hinted at a “wild” Tony Awards opening number in interviews in the days leading up to this year’s ceremony. Without spoiling the “Lady Marmalade” nod, P!nk told Broadway.com, “It’s just a full-blown ridiculous celebration. I told them my one caveat was that immediately as soon as I step onto the stage, I have to make fun of myself, and make it absolutely just about fun and celebrating everyone.”

Follow a complete list of the 2026 Tony Awards winners, updating live as they’re announced, here.

After exiting the group Salty Peppers, Maurice White moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and created a new band. A strong believer in mysticism, the Sagittarian sought inspiration from his astrological chart in divining the band-to-be’s name. Three elements caught his attention: earth, fire and air.

“I changed air to wind,” late founder White says in a clip from the HBO Original documentary Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World). “And the rest is history,” he continues. “Earth, Wind & Fire is basically the true elements of the universe.”

And what a history it’s been as director-producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson relays in the illuminating, two-hour documentary premiering Sunday night (June 7; 9 p.m. ET/PT). In the nearly 60 years since White’s vision took shape, the nine-time Grammy Award-winning and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band has achieved global acclaim and legendary status.

Via spirited fusions of jazz, R&B/soul, Afro-funk, pop and disco, the band mined a deep vein of classic gold and platinum hits and fan faves like “September,” “Shining Star,” “Let’s Groove,” “After the Love Is Gone” and “Beijo” (aka Brazilian Rhyme interlude). In fact, Questlove pegged another iconic EWF hit, “That’s the Way of the World,” in crafting the title for his latest Questlove Jawn.

“I love a good pun,” said the Academy Award-winning music historian during a Zoom interview with Billboard following the documentary’s June 3 premiere at the 25^th Tribeca Film Festival. “All of my documentaries have a long title continuation that also explains what you have to consider [while watching]. Sly Stone was about the burden of Black genius. With Summer of Soul, the revolution was happening, but it couldn’t be televised. In this particular case, it’s about human beings. We’re all celestial; all light shiners. But oftentimes, we dim our light to blend in and be part of the ecosystem.”

“Maurice White is basically an orphan, given away by his mother to a neighbor,” Questlove continued, “yet he somehow gets a metaphysical belief at the age of seven in Memphis … a calling to say, ‘It’s my job to bring positivity and love into the world.’ But however well-intended the mission, you must learn not to hold within any pain. That’s what I want people to learn from this: Do not dismiss your dreams. But you also have to let things go. And Maurice never let that anger go of being given away. He was crumbling inside because he had a broken heart.”

Through strikingly candid conversations with group members, family, friends and high-profile fans — and access to a cache of treasures including the group’s recordings, outtakes and unreleased live shows plus Maurice’s diaries, affirmations and favorite books — Questlove delivers a riveting look at the hard work and joy behind the band’s ascension. But he leans into the creative tensions and personal issues that arose as well. Viewers will witness the magic tricks and psychedelic/space-age costumes that became hallmarks of EWF’s showmanship. They’ll also learn what EWF smash inspired one of Stevie Wonder’s own classic hits, among other insightful tidbits.

Above all, “Earth, Wind & Fire taught us how to dream,” says Questlove. “As we continue to search for answers in these very tense times, their music always s same conclusion: the answers are inside yourself. It’s the same metaphysical story as The Wizard of Oz. Listening to their songs during the pandemic was my eureka moment; I realized what they were doing: they tricked us into positivity. This is the story of a band that tricks you into eating your vegetables.”

Ahead of the film’s Tribeca premiere and their performance with The Roots that same evening, EWF original members Verdine White, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson — the doc’s co-executive producers (Maurice’s son Kahbran “KB” White is a producer) — also sat down for a Zoom interview with Billboard, printed below. Later this summer, the indefatigable Earth, Wind & Fire will launch their “Sing a Song All Night Long” tour with fellow icon Lionel Richie on June 24.

What was your immediate reaction after viewing the documentary?

Bailey: Questlove is really a music historian. Talk to him for five or 10 minutes and you recognize he has an innate gift for knowing a lot of facts about music history. He’d bring stuff up about EWF, and I’ve been there all the time [with the group]. But I’d be like “How’d you know that?” So he was the perfect person to do this because he goes deep below the surface. It’s surreal.

White: He’s an historian and a musician. That combination particularly works well when it comes to the music and the message. He captured our essence and spirits, our manhood and humanity. I’m really proud of it.

Johnson: It’s a job well done.

The documentary also doesn’t shy away from the thorny issues the group — and Maurice — encountered along the way.

Bailey: That’s the way of the world, right? You can’t live life without experiencing the highs and lows, the good and bad, the pretty and ugly. It’s part of what makes us what who we are. And it’s really a testament to the fact that we’re still here, doing music on a very high level some 50+ years later.

Johnson: Philip covered it. The ups and downs all get back to the duality of the universe.

White: When you have a long career, it’s not linear. It moves around; grows as you grow. It has its own rhythm mechanism. [The documentary] shows that we were living our truth.

What is one lesson or affirmation learned from Maurice that you still follow?

Johnson: Three things: commitment, trust and humility. If you believe in something, then you’ve got to commit to it. And you must trust that in the end it’s going to be OK. Then if things get so great for you that your ego goes out of control, then you’ve got to turn on the humility and put yourself back in check.

White: Love for your brothers, particularly Ralph and Philip. The love, the connection, the trust, the bond:  that’s what I’ve come away with.

Bailey: When we were first together, practicing and hoping to go out on the road, there were several times when on the way to the airport, we’d literally get a call that it [a gig] was canceled. I’m living with people and primarily eating oatmeal; I got a new baby. Yet every time things would happen, Maurice would always say, “There’s something better for us.” He never complained; never had a defeatist attitude or statement.

How would Maurice feel about the documentary?

Johnson: He’d feel the story has been told the right way.

Bailey: He’d be proud of it. It’s indicative of who we are.

White: Reese would be really proud that the three of us are still together — from almost teenagers to adults.

And what lasting impression do you hope fans will have after seeing the documentary?

Johnson: Vintage fans will be happy. They’ll think the story was told correctly. New fans will be very enlightened because they’ll find out some stuff about this group they just didn’t know.

Bailey: That the documentary makes the music real and gives people a deeper understanding of the music.

White: Vintage fans will remember that this journey was part of their lives too. And newer fans will learn something about being able to have a mission — as Maurice did — of rendering a service to humanity and actually bringing people together. When people mention our name, there’s a smile that comes to their faces.

Drake’s ICEMAN spends a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated June 13), earning 171,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending June 4 (down 24%), according to Luminate.

Of Drake’s 15 No. 1 albums, ICEMAN is now one of five to spend at least three weeks at No. 1, and his first with three weeks at No. 1 since Certified Lover Boy spent five weeks in the lead in 2021. The Drake album with the most weeks at No. 1 is Views, with 13 weeks in 2016.

Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200, Paul McCartney achieves his 22nd top 10 album as The Boys of Dungeon Lane debuts at No. 5, while aespa captures its third top 10 with the No. 9 arrival of LEMONADE.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 2,500 ad-supported or 1,000 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new June 13, 2026-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 9. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram.

Of ICEMAN’s 171,000 equivalent album units earned in the latest tracking week, SEA units comprise 170,000 (down 24%, equaling 174.42 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it spends a third week at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise nearly 1,000 (down 50%) and TEA units comprise the remainder (down 29%).

A trio of former No. 1s follow ICEMAN, as Ella Langley’s Dandelion is a non-mover at No. 2 (93,000 equivalent album units earned, up 1%), Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem rises 4-3 (83,000, up 4%) and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide falls 3-4 (78,000, down 7%).

Paul McCartney’s The Boys of Dungeon Lane debuts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, with 63,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 59,500 (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise nearly 3,500 (equaling 3.33 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise the remainder. First-week sales were bolstered by the album’s availability across 18 physical variants, including more than 10 vinyl editions.

The Boys of Dungeon Lane marks the 22nd top 10 for McCartney, inclusive of his solo top 10s and his albums with Wings. The new set was led by the single “Days We Left Behind,” which peaked at No. 22 on the Adult Contemporary airplay chart in April.

Michael Jackson’s former No. 1 Thriller is next on the Billboard 200, falling one spot to No. 6 with 61,000 equivalent album units (down 5%), while Jackson’s greatest hits collection Number Ones slips 6-7 (56,000, down 7%). Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time climbs 11-8 with 42,000 (up 3%).

Pop group aespa notches its third top 10 as LEMONADE arrives at No. 9 with 41,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 34,500 (it debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 6,500 (equaling 6.73 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise the remainder. First-week sales of the album were aided by its availability across more than 20 CD variants, including signed editions, with many containing collectible items such as photocards, stickers and posters, with some items randomized.

Closing out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 is Drake’s HABIBTI, which falls 7-10 with nearly 41,000 equivalent album units (down 24%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.