Achieving “EGOT” status is a rare and coveted honor. As of this writing, only 24 people have the distinction of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (and six of those were honorary and not competitive).
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The term EGOT dates back to 1984. At that point, actress Helen Hayes, actress and dancer Rita Moreno, and composer Richard Rodgers were the only people to have reached the milestone. The name is credited to one half of Miami Vice’s Crockett and Tubbs. Philip Michael Thomas, who played Rico Tubbs, said his dream was to win each major award. He wore EGOT-engraved jewelry (that’s true), and finally fulfilled his EGOT ambitions after winning a Tony for his stellar directing work on…OK, that is decidedly not true (although PMT was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1986).
“EGOT,” however, didn’t come into popular use until an episode of the television show 30 Rock. On the show, Tracy Morgan’s character buys Thomas’ EGOT necklace and began making goals for winning his own entertainment industry “Grand Slam.”
The five musicians below actually have become EGOTs. And one of them is a double-EGOT.
1. Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson began her career as an American Idol finalist in 2004. Her self-titled debut record won a Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2009. (She won a second Grammy in 2017 for Best Musical Theater Album for The Color Purple). Her Oscar arrived in 2007 when she won Best Supporting Actress for Dreamgirls. She won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program for Baby Yaga in 2021. And then Hudson became the 17th person to join the EGOT club in 2022 with her Tony Award win for Best Musical after producing A Strange Loop. Hudson is only the second Black woman and was the youngest woman to become an EGOT.
[RELATED: The 30 Best Jennifer Hudson Quotes]
2. John Legend
John Legend became EGOT’s youngest club member in 2018. He won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special (Live) as a producer for Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. In 2014, he won an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory” feat. Common. As a co-producer on Jitney, he won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play (2017). And these trophies are stacked on top of a mountain of music awards. Legend is a 12-time Grammy-winning artist. His Grammy wins include Best New Artist (2006), Best R&B Album for Get Lifted (2006), Best R&B Song for “Shine” (2011), Best R&B Album for Wake Up! with The Roots (2011), and Best R&B Album for Bigger Love (2021). The Oscar-winning “Glory” also won a Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media. (Legend’s “Glory” partner Common is an EGO at the time of this writing, having won all but a Tony.)
3. Andrew Lloyd Webber
English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is an EGOT winner with seven Tony Awards, an Oscar, three Grammys, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Acclaimed for his work in theatre, primarily, Webber’s Tonys include Best Original Score for Evita (1980), Best Original Score and Best Musical for Cats (1983), Best Musical for The Phantom of the Opera (1988), Best Original Score and Best Musical for Sunset Boulevard (1995), and he won a Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (2018) as well.
Webber’s work isn’t without controversy. He’s been accused of plagiarism throughout his career. The Phantom of the Opera’s opening riff sounds suspiciously similar to Pink Floyd’s “Echoes.” He’s also borrowed melodies from the German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn.
4. Robert Lopez
Robert Lopez is best-known for co-creating The Book of Mormon with South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He’s also the only person to have won all four major entertainment awards twice. Lopez first reached EGOT status in 2014 when he won multiple Grammy Awards for Disney’s Frozen. He twice won Emmys for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for Nickelodeon’s Wonder Pets! (2008 and ’10). The Book of Mormon was awarded the Best Musical Theater Album Grammy in 2011. And Lopez has two Oscars, for Best Original Song for “Let It Go” (Frozen) and “Remember Me” (Coco). He’s won three Tony Awards, as well: Best Original Score for Avenue Q in 2004, and Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical for The Book of Mormon in 2011.
5. Tim Rice
English lyricist Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and John Legend reached EGOT status simultaneously for their work on Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Rice has also won Grammys for Evita (1981), Aladdin (1994), and Aida (2001). His three Oscars are for Best Original Song for “A Whole New World” (Aladdin) in 1992, “Circle of Life” (The Lion King) in 1994, and “You Must Love Me” (Evita) in 1996. He received three Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Original Score for Evita, and again for Original Score for Aida.
Photo by Jason Merritt/FilmMagic
