Who Is Laura Osnes? Broadway Actress Removed for Alleged Anti-Vaccine Stance
Broadway star Laura Osnes, a two-time Tony Award nominee, was reportedly removed from an upcoming show in The Hamptons of New York after it was revealed she wasn't vaccinated against COVID.
Page Six of the New York Post claimed on August 12 that Osnes was reportedly let go from I'm Crazy For You, a revival of the Crazy For You Broadway musical showing on August 29 at East Hampton's Guild Hall, for allegedly refusing to get vaccinated.
According to the report, sources told the New York Post's Michael Riedel that Osnes allegedly revealed she wasn't vaccinated against COVID and that she didn't trust the vaccines, when she was pressed on the issue by her co-star Tony Yazbeck because "he has two little kids at home."
A representative for Guild Hall confirmed Osnes had left the show, but didn't comment on the reason for her exit, according to Page Six, which also said that the actress has described herself as a Christian conservative in past interviews.
The Guild Hall rep told Page Six: "The policy of Guild Hall is that performers have the option to provide proof of full vaccination or a recent negative COVID test result."
Josh Gladstone, the artistic director at Guild Hall's John Drew Theater, told Page Six: "We have a requirement now along the lines of what Actors' Equity is requiring, and what Broadway is requiring, for performances.
"We're sorry not to have Laura on this, [and] we will look forward to working with Laura again. We are concerned about maintaining the safety of our staff and our audiences," the director added.
Newsweek has contacted Guild Hall as well as the representatives for Osnes and Yazbeck for comment.
The listing on the show's official page on the Guild Hall website doesn't list Osnes among the cast.
Page Six reported that Osnes was replaced by Sierra Boggess, the actress who made her Broadway debut playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
Who Is Laura Osnes?
Born in Burnsville, Minnesota, the 35-year-old actress and producer is known for different television shows and films, including One Royal Holiday, A Killer Party: A Murder Mystery Musical as well as the Late Show with David Letterman, according to IMDb.
She has been married to Nathan Johnson, an American producer and creative director based in New York City, since May 11, 2007.
According to her official website, Osnes rose to fame after winning the NBC reality television competition Grease: You're The One That I Want, which got her the role of Sandy in the Broadway revival of Grease at 21 years of age.
Since then she's landed roles in a host of famed musicals including as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific, as well as Cinderella in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella and as Bonnie Parker in Bonnie & Clyde. She received Tony Award nominations for her roles in Cinderella and Bonnie & Clyde.
Osnes has also starred in the Hallmark Channel original movies A Homecoming For The Holidays and In The Key Of Love. She was also seen in television series including Fosse/Verdon on F/X, Dynasty on CW, and Elementary on CBS.
She has released two solo albums, titled "Dream A Little Dream" and "If I Tell You," according to the website.
