Jennifer Hudson achieved rarefied EGOT status with her Tony win for producing “A Strange Loop.”
“EGOT” awards lingo refers to people who have won Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys during their entertainment careers. Notable personalities who have won wins in all four awards bodies include Rita Moreno, Alan Menken, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, Mike Nichols, Mel Brooks and Whoopi Goldberg.
Only 16 individuals in history had earned an EGOT in competitive categories prior to tonight’s Tony Awards. Now Hudson is the 17th.
Hudson took the first steps toward getting EGOT with her Oscar win in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in “Dreamgirls” in 2006. Since then, Hudson has won two Grammys – one for best musical theater album for “The Color Purple” in 2017 and another for best R&B album for his self-titled album in 2009 – as well as a Daytime Emmy for executing the production of the VR-animated film “Baby Yaga “.
Coincidentally, this year’s ceremony for the 75th Tony Awards was hosted by fellow Oscar-winning supporting actress Ariana DeBose, who won the award this year for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.”
“A Strange Loop” entered Sunday night’s awards show as an awards darling, gaining momentum from rave reviews and a passionate fan base. Michael R. Jackson’s Pulitzer winner led the pack, earning 11 nominations in all categories, including L Morgan Lee for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, making Lee the first transgender person to be nominated for a Tony.
See the full list of this year’s Tony winners here.