Jennifer Hudson had a little something extra to write home about from the 2022 Tony Awards on Sunday: The singer and actress achieved EGOT status, becoming just the 17th person in history — and the third-youngest — to achieve the title.
Hudson earned her “T” as a producer of Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop, which took home the Tony last weekend for Best Musical. Her journey to EGOT began in 2007, when her appearance in Dreamgirls earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Her 2009 self-titled debut album then nabbed a Grammy for Best R&B Album, while 2021 brought her a Daytime Emmy as an executive producer of the animated film Baba Yaga.
At 40, Hudson just barely became the youngest-ever EGOT winner, trailing just behind Robert Lopez and John Legend, who were both 39 when they completed the sweep. But what’s more, Hudson is only the third Black EGOT winner, following Whoopi Goldberg and Legend.
While Hudson didn’t perform in A Strange Loop, we did get to see her show off her vocal chops last year portraying Aretha Franklin in Liesl Tommy’s biopic Respect. She also welcomed Central Park back from the pandemic by performing at We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, just before it was cut short due to weather.
As for who might follow Hudson on the EGOT train next? Bruce Springsteen, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and David Byrne are each just one trophy away.