Meet the new EGOTs: John Legend just became the first black man to join the prestigious list

WLS logo
Monday, September 10, 2018
John Legend is first man black man to become an EGOT
John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice all joined the short list of people who have earned an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

In one monumental moment at Sunday night's Creative Arts Emmy Awards, John Legend, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice all became EGOTs at the same time.

EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony. Joining the list of people who have won all four is among the most elite honors in show business. All three men had already won at least one Grammy, Oscar and Tony in competitive categories before Sunday.

Legend's wife, Chrissy Teigen, tweeted "EGOT GOATS" with a picture of the three men holding their Emmys.

The live television production of Jesus Christ Superstar won the Emmy for best live variety special, making all three men EGOTs in one fell swoop. They won as executive producers of the live production, but their involvement with the show doesn't stop there: Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music for the musical; Tim Rice wrote the lyrics; and John Legend starred in this production.

Legend is the first black man to earn the impressive set of awards, and he was almost the youngest person ever to do so. At 39, Legend is the same age that songwriter Robert Lopez was when he became the youngest. Legend, though, is older than Lopez was by a few months.

RELATED: Robert Lopez becomes first person to win double EGOT

The three newly minted EGOTs grow the list by quite a bit. Before Sunday, only 12 people had ever achieved it (not counting those who won honorary awards). They are:

Richard Rodgers

Helen Hayes

Rita Moreno

John Gielgud

Audrey Hepburn

Marvin Hamlisch

Jonathan Tunick

Mel Brooks

Mike Nichols

Whoopi Goldberg

Scott Rudin

Robert Lopez

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.