Viola Davis becomes the latest star to achieve EGOT status with her Grammy Award, joining Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, & more.
The memoir also details incidents and racism experienced by Davis growing up in Rhode Island and working in Hollywood. Now, she bagged a Grammy for her audiobook, giving her the coveted EGOT status. Back in 2016, the actress made history with the title of being the first Black actor to have the 'Triple Crown' by winning acting Oscar, Emmy, and Tony awards.
With her Grammy win for best audiobook, Davis becomes the first actor in nearly 30 years to achieve a particularly impressive type of EGOT status.
[John Legend](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/09/john-legend-emmy-egot), and, most recently, [Jennifer Hudson](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/06/jennifer-hudson-achieves-egot-status-with-a-strange-loop-tony-win). Until then, Davis holds the distinction of being the 18th EGOT member and one of the very best to ever do it. Producing, of course, is a vital part of the artistic process that deserves to be celebrated, and an EGOT is an EGOT no matter how you achieve it. Plenty of people, from rappers Common and Eminem, to actors including Kate Winslet, Frances McDormand, Cynthia Erivo, and Hugh Jackman, to musicians like Elton John and Cyndi Lauper are one competitive award win away from achieving EGOT status. Many performers on the EGOT list have earned at least one of their competitive awards via producing: Jennifer Hudson’s best-musical Tony for A Strange Loop in 2022 and her Daytime Emmy for outstanding interactive media for a daytime program for Baba Yaga in 2021; John Legend for best revival of a play for August Wilson’s Jitney in 2017; and Whoopi Goldberg’s best-musical Tony for Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002. [Coming to (and Leaving) Netflix](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/01/new-on-netflix-the-best-movies-and-tv-shows-coming-and-leaving-in-february-2023?itm_content=footer-recirc&itm_campaign=more-great-stories-011823)in February Not since Audrey Hepburn won best spoken word album for children in 1994 has an actor achieved EGOT status by winning all of their awards in a performance-based category. Still, her recent EGOT achievement solidifies that Davis— She becomes just the 18th person in history to win a competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Davis is no stranger to breaking down barriers. Davis’s journey to EGOT began with her Tony-award-winning performance as Tonya in August Wilson’s King Hedley II in 2001. “To honor her life, her joy, her trauma, everything.
With her 2023 Grammy win, Viola Davis is the 18th person to achieve EGOT status, having won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Fox for [Always Looking Up](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027IQ5N4/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=boorio-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B0027IQ5N4). Including Davis, only 18 people have EGOT status, including Rita Moreno, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, and Whoopi Goldberg. This win secured her a membership in an exclusive club of people who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Viola Davis joins Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Husdon as third Black woman to achieve EGOT status after winning Grammy for best audiobook.
[hold](https://people.com/awards/egot-winners/) the EGOT title, only three, including Davis are Black women. She accepted the Oscar for “Best Supporting Actress” in 2017 for the on-screen adaptation of [Fences](https://www.npr.org/2016/12/25/506617435/denzel-washington-and-viola-davis-on-adapting-fences-and-honoring-august-wilson). The award show is being criticized for not listing any Black actors as nominees for lead roles or having any woman (Black or non-POC) nominated for best director. Before the main show, Davis won the award for “Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording,” for her [memoir](https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Me-Memoir-Viola-Davis/dp/0063037327) Finding Me. The movie was listed as one the “Best Films’ of 2022 and did not receive any nominations. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola — to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, her everything.