Billy Crystal Roasts Trump’s UFC Event and L.A. Mayoral Race at Hollywood Bowl Season Opener

Billy Crystal made pointed jokes about President Donald Trump and the recent Los Angeles mayoral race while hosting the opening night of the Hollywood Bowl’s 2026 summer season.

Halle Bailey joined Tony Award winners Darren Criss, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Lea Salonga for “The Best of Broadway,” launching the iconic venue’s seasonal programming. Conductor Thomas Wilkins led the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, supported by the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles and the California State University, Fullerton University Singers.

“Welcome to the 2026 opening night of the Hollywood Bowl,” Crystal opened, prompting applause. “I haven’t heard excitement like that since they took Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center. Unbelievable.” His quip about Trump’s recent UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House drew cheers from the audience.

Following a jab at L.A.’s notorious traffic, Crystal joked, “Everything’s slow here. That’s how we count our mail-in ballots—very slow. Right before I came out, they had the final results of the governor race, and Gray Davis is going to be in.” The comment referenced the 2003 recall of California Governor Gray Davis and alluded to the city’s prolonged vote-counting process earlier this month that eliminated Spencer Pratt from the mayoral runoff.

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“Tonight’s theme is the best of Broadway,” Crystal added. “It was either this or holding a UFC match here, and we decided we’d be classy and respectful.” He acknowledged the crowd’s reaction to the Trump-UFC event with, “I know. We’ll get through it.”

Performances featured Criss delivering “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story and “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera, alongside a duet with Salonga on Little Shop of Horrors’ “Suddenly Seymour.” Bailey performed The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World” and “Home” from The Wiz.

Additional highlights included Goldsberry reprising her Hamilton anthem “Satisfied,” Salonga belting Wicked’s “Defying Gravity,” and Mitchell singing “Wheels of a Dream,” his signature number from the original Ragtime production.

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