The 2023 Emmy Awards were held January 15, and among the wins was a very special statuette for Sir Elton John. The ceremony, originally scheduled to take place in September, was delayed due to the WGA and SAG strikes.
The win saw the Billy Elliot and Aida composer joining the exclusive (and often elusive) EGOT club after bringing in an Emmy Award for his Farewell From Dodger Stadium special.
EGOT is an acronym that stands for four award ceremonies: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. In order to join the EGOT club, an individual has to win all four of these awards, which span across disciplines, from recorded music to film to live theatre. The designation is considered the "grand slam" of the American entertainment world, with 19 achieving the designation through competitive awards, and 6 others doing so with at least one honorary award (such as Liza Minnelli, who received an honorary Grammy in 1990 denoting her as a legend, allowing her to join the club).
John's Emmy win joins his five Grammys (for "That's What Friends Are For," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Candle in the Wind," "Basque," and Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida), his two Best Original Song Oscars for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King and "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman, and his Best Score Tony Award for Aida. In 1999, John was named a Grammy Legend.
At 76, John is the second-eldest individual to competitively achieve EGOT status, after John Gielgud, who was 87 when he won his Emmy.
In a statement, John said, “I am incredibly humbled to be joining the unbelievably talented group of EGOT winners tonight. The journey to this moment has been filled with passion, dedication, and the unwavering support of my fans all around the world. Tonight is a testament to the power of the arts and the joy that it brings to all our lives. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my career, I am incredibly grateful.”
Other competitive EGOT winners include composer Richard Rodgers, actress Helen Hayes, actress Rita Moreno, actress Audrey Hepburn, composer Marvin Hamlisch, orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, writer and director Mel Brooks, director Mike Nichols, actress Whoopi Goldberg, producer Scott Rudin, singer John Legend, composer Tim Rice, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer Alan Menken, actress and producer Jennifer Hudson, and actress Viola Davis. Composer Robert Lopez is the only individual to complete a double EGOT, having won every award designation twice.
