EGOT! No, that’s not some exclamation from an old Looney Tunes cartoon. The term EGOT stands for Emmy-Grammy-Oscar-Tony, and is a lofty goal for a few talented individuals. Winning at least one of each of the top awards in television, music, film, and Broadway is quite a feat, and something that John Legend has just accomplished.
Perhaps even more significant is the fact that Legend is the first black man to ever win an EGOT, and he is also one of the youngest. To accomplish this goal, the 39-year-old singer, songwriter, and actor won 10 Grammy Awards (beginning in 2006). In 2015, he won an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory” in the film Selma. Next, in 2017, Legend won a Tony for the Broadway production of Jitney, on which he was a co-producer. And finally, Legend nailed it yesterday with his Emmy win for producing Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, which aired on NBC in April of this year.
There are only 14 other people to have ever earned EGOTs. Others include composer/producer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Mike Nichols, actress Audrey Hepburn (who received hers posthumously), and actress Whoopi Goldberg, who was the first black person to ever receive the honor.
Worth noting is that Legend completed his EGOT in just twelve years. The only person to do so within a shorter time span was composer Robert Lopez, who completed his own in a record ten years. Actress Helen Hayes took 45 years by earning her Oscar in 1932, and finally her Grammy in 1977.
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