Video: Maleah Joi Moon 'Didn't Know What Was Actually Happening' During Her Tonys Acceptance Speech

Maleah Joi Moon won her first Tony Award June 16 for her performance as Ali in the hit new musical Hell's Kitchen. While holding her Best Performance by a Lead Actress in a Musical Tony, she told Playbill that she was in shock when she first got on the David H. Koch stage to accept her award.

"It almost didn't dawn on me what was actually happening," she said. But having had a few minutes to process it, she added that her win for playing Ali in the Alicia Keys musical is special for a crucial reason: "It means a lot to me that kids can look like me can look up on stage and see themselves reflected in art and know they can make this happen, too." See her reactions to winning for her Broadway debut in the video above, in an interview with Playbill's Jeffrey Vizcaíno.

For more about the Tony Awards, visit Playbill.com/Tonys.