Jennifer Hudson Becomes an EGOT Winner, Takes Home Tony Award for Best Musical

Jennifer Hudson made history on June 12, joining the very elite EGOT club—an artist who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award—after picking up the Tony Award for Best Musical for A Strange Loop.

Acting as co-producer of the Broadway show, Hudson has already won the prior three awards and earned the last piece during the 75th annual Tony Awards, which was held at Radio City Music Hall.

Hudson earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Effie White in the 2007 film Dreamgirls, then won two Grammy Awards, one for her self-titled album in 2008 and the second for The Color Purple, which won Best Musical Theater Album in 2017. In 2021, Hudson also picked up a Daytime Emmy for her role as executive producer of the virtual reality animated film Baby Yaga, which won the Interactive Media for Daytime Program award.

Before her Emmy win, Hudson joked about how she was planning to become an EGOT, the group now numbering 17 with the addition of Hudson.

“I should get two more dogs,” said Hudson of her growing pomeranian collection and award wins. “I got a dog and named it Oscar, and then I won my Oscar. And then I got a dog and named it Grammy, and then I won my Grammy. So I think I should get some dogs and name them Emmy and Tony – and it’ll give me good luck, and I’ll win. [They’re] like my good luck charms.”

Other EGOT winners include Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Helen Hayes, Alen Menken, John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Robert Lopez, Scott Rudin, Whoopi Goldberg, Mike Nichols, Mel Brooks, Jonathan Tunick, Marvin Hamlisch, John Gielgud, and the very first artist to achieve the status, Richard Rodgers.

Photo by Shahar Azran/Getty Images