comscore
In Case You Didn't Know: Black EGOT Winners

In Case You Didn't Know: Black EGOT Winners

Zayna Allen
02/10/2023 12:00 AM EST

Viola Davis made her way into the very exclusive group of EGOT winners this past Sunday by winning a Grammy in the category of Best Spoken Word Album for her audiobook Finding Me. An EGOT winner is someone who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. There are only 18 people in the world who have achieved that feat. Many have achieved this status through directing or producing on some of the projects they won for, while Viola Davis was the performer for each of her wins.

Davis joins an even shorter list of Black people who have created history by achieving EGOT status. But who were the first black people to win an EGOT? We’ve got you with this week’s In Case You Didn't Know

Whoopi Goldberg's EGOT Win

Whoopi EGOT
Mary Tyler Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in the pressroom during the 56th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall, New York City. June 2, 2002. Photo by Scott Gries/ImageDirect

The first black EGOT win was only in 2002. It was achieved by Whoopi Goldberg. It took her 16 years to win all four awards. She first got her Grammy in 1986, her Oscar in 1990, as well as her Emmy in early 2002. Later that year she cemented her EGOT status with a Tony award for performance in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

John Legend's EGOT

john legend egot
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: John Legend poses in the press room of the 2018 Creative Arts Emmy Awards - Day 2 at Microsoft Theater on September 9, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)

The first Black man to win an EGOT was John Legend. The singer achieved this feat 16 years after Whoopi Goldberg in 2018. It took him a total of 12 years to collect all four. He started with his first Grammy in 2006. However, he didn't begin his EGOT quest until almost ten years later, winning an Oscar in 2015. He then won a Tony in 2017 and cemented his EGOT status in 2018 with an Emmy for producing Jesus Christ Superstar.

Jennifer Hudson's EGOT

Up next is Jennifer Hudson. Her admittance into the EGOT club came only four years after John Legend and took her a total of 15 years to complete. She first received her Oscar in 2007, then a Grammy in 2009. She received an Emmy in 2021 and cemented her status with a Tony in 2022 for being a part of Strange Loop: The Musical, which won best play. Hudson is currently the youngest woman to win an EGOT.

Who May Make The List Next

What Black person will be next to win? Well, people are looking at Cynthia Erivo as she is waiting on her Oscar win. Common is also in the running as he is awaiting on a Tony. Additonally, H.E.R. would be on that list as well. She is waiting on a Tony award and she hasn't even hit 30 yet!