Why Jonathan Groff fans are comparing his Tony win to Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscar

For Jonathan Groff, the third time was, in fact, the charm.

The Broadway star won his first Tony on June 16 in the category of best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical for "Merrily We Roll Along."

Groff was previously nominated for his performances in "Spring Awakening" in 2007 and "Hamilton" in 2016, where he played vexed teenager Melchior Gabor and the playful King George III, respectively.

The actor was overcome with emotion as he delivered his acceptance speech.

Initially, Groff expressed gratitude for his parents and brother, all of whom were in attendance.

"Thank you for letting me dress up like Mary Poppins when I was 3," Groff said. "Thank you for letting me act out scenes from 'I Love Lucy' on my 10th birthday. Thank you for always allowing my freak flag to fly without ever making me feel weird about it."

"Even if they didn't always understand me, my family knew the lifesaving power of fanning the flame of a young person's passions without judgment," Groff said of his family's unwavering support.

"I walk through life with an open heart because you let me know that I could," he added.

Groff also thanked the cast and crew of "Spring Awakening" for inspiring him to come out of the closet at 23 years old.

"I'm now 39, and musical theatre is still saving my soul," he said.

Groff went on to acknowledge his "Merrily We Roll Along" costars, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez. Radcliffe won his first Tony Award for his work in the musical.

"You are more than old friends; you are soulmates," he said of Mendez and Radcliffe, alluding to the song "Old Friends" from "Merrily We Roll Along."

"I'm looking forward to watching each other change for the rest of our lives."

Groff ended the speech by recalling how he used to record the Tony Awards on VHS as a child and watch the performances repeatedly.

"To actually be able to be a part of making theatre in this city and just as much to be able to watch the work of this incredible, incredible community has been the greatest gift and pleasure of my life, and I thank you," he concluded.

Groff's fans are evidently just as emotional about the actor's victory. While Groff has appeared in screen roles, like "Mindhunter" and "The Matrix Resurrections," and also voiced the role Kristoff in "Frozen," he got his start on Broadway.

His first Broadway role was in the 2005 show "In My Life," and got his first nomination two years later, for "Spring Awakening."

Fans are likening the moment to Leonardo DiCaprio winning his first Oscar in 2016 for "The Revenant," after a total of five nominations.

"for those who don't watch musical theatre, jonathan groff winning the tony is like dicaprio winning the oscar," one user wrote on X.

"spring awakening nation, mindhunter nation, hamilton nation, frozen nation, glee nation, jonathan groff is FINALLY a tony winner," another added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com