JHud is the newest multihyphenate to reach EGOT status!
After winning her first Tony Award Sunday evening when the musical she produced, “A Strange Loop,” won Best New Musical, Jennifer Hudson reached the one of the most coveted statuses in show business.
She is the 17th person to achieve this honor and only the second black woman to achieve this after Whoopi Goldberg’s historic feat in 2002.
The EGOT, first coined in 1984 by actor Philip Michael Thomas, is the acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, which are often regarded as the highest honors within show business.
Hudson’s journey to EGOT first began in 2006 when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “Dreamgirls.” She won her first Grammy in 2009 for Best R&B album for her self-titled album, and won a Daytime Emmy in 2021 for an animated short she produced and provided voice acting for called “Baba Yaga.”
Now, in about 16 years, Jennifer Hudson has reached a legendary status within Hollywood.
Hudson’s career first took off after her appearance on the third season of American Idol where her strong voice and presence wowed the judges. Although she was eliminated before reaching the finish line, she has been included within the canon of best Idol contestants performers ever since.
The 75th annual Tony Awards were hosted by Ariana Debose, a young star who won her first Academy Award this year for her work in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the musical “West Side Story.”
“A Strange Loop” led the night with 11 nominations, winning Best New Musical and Best Book of a Musical. It also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020. Many notable people served as producers alongside Hudson for the Broadway production, including Billy Porter, Mindy Kaling and RuPaul.
Earning an EGOT is just the newest peak in Hudson’s storied career.
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