Bette Midler Steals Tonys Show With Epic ‘Shut That Crap Off’ Speech

By Dave Goldiner June 12, 2017

No one could shut down Bette Midler at the Tony Awards — not even the orchestra.

After scooping her first ever acting honor, the feisty “Hello Dolly!” actress kept right on going even as the band tried to play some music to cue that her time on stage was up.

“Shut that crap off,” Midler said to roars from the rapt audience.

Midler went on for a healthy four minutes in all, paying homage to trailblazing women actresses and even suggesting that Broadway can help the nation in troubled times.

“This thing can lift your heart in these terrible, terrible times,” she said.

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at goldiner@forward.com, or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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