Lea Michele seemingly addresses Tonys snub during ceremony's opening number

Lea Michele seemingly poked fun at her Tony Awards snub when she made a surprise appearance in the ceremony's opening number on Sunday.

Fans of the Glee star were stunned earlier this year when she wasn't nominated for a Tony for her performance in the Broadway run of Chess, which also failed to score a Best Revival of a Musical nod.

Despite the snub, Michele attended the awards show at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Sunday night and poked fun at the omission during the opening number, a rendition of Lady Marmalade featuring new lyrics honouring the night's nominees.

As the ceremony's host, Pink, and Tony-nominated Chess actress Hannah Cruz walked along the front row of the audience, Michele appeared on camera before belting out, "We don't do it for the awards." The crowd went wild with applause.

The trio then continue down the front row, incorporating nominees' names into the lyrics, before stopping at June Squibb, the oldest acting nominee in Tony Awards history at 96.

After they sang, "Squibby, squibby, squibby June," the veteran actress said into a microphone from her seat, "All the parts I've played, I slayed 'em." She received cheers from the crowd, including her seat neighbour, Queen Latifah.

The ambitious opening number featured more than 170 performers, high-flying acrobatics and appearances from cast members of current Broadway productions including Schmigadoon!, Titanique, Chess, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show.

In addition to Michele and Squibb, transgender social media figure Dylan Mulvaney, reality TV star and current Chicago performer Whitney Leavitt, and rapper Megan Thee Stallion also made cameo appearances on-stage.

Despite cutting her run in Moulin Rouge! The Musical short in May, the Hot Girl Summer hitmaker wore her Zidler costume one more time for the opener.

Pink, who emceed the awards show for the first time, famously recorded a cover of Lady Marmalade with Christina Aguilera, Mya, and Lil' Kim for the soundtrack to the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!