John Legend becomes first black man to earn EGOT status
John Legend has made history again.
The “Ordinary People” singer became the first black man to earn the coveted EGOT — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony — status on Sunday at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Legend won his Emmy for his role in the NBC musical “Jesus Christ Superstar Live.” He, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice all became EGOT winners — making them the 13th, 14th and 15th people in history to earn all major accolades.
But the celebration may continue as Legend, 39, who played Jesus in the musical, is also up for another trophy for outstanding actor in a limited series or movie at the Primetime Emmys next week.
Thus far, Legend has 10 Grammys to his name, an Oscar for Best Original Song for “Glory” (2015) and a co-producing Tony for Best Revival of a Play for the Broadway show “Jitney” (2017).
He joins the ranks of Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Brooks and Whoopi Goldberg, who is the first black woman to join the EGOT club.