Elton John Joins the EGOT Club With Emmys Win
Elton John is the newest member of the EGOT club, picking up an Emmy Award during Monday night's ceremony. John won Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for his Disney+ special, Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium, and his new hardware makes him the 19th person to win an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.
It's been a long, long time: It took the British icon nearly four decades to EGOT — John won his first Grammy in 1987 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “That’s What Friends Are For,” his first Oscar in 1995 for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King and a Tony for Best Original Musical Score in 2000 for his work on Aida. He won a second Oscar for Best Original Song for "I’m Gonna Love Me Again" from his own biopic, Rocketman, in 2020 and has taken home a total of five Grammys throughout his career. This was John's first Emmy nomination.
The singer wasn't present to accept his Emmy, as he was at home recovering from a knee operation. The award was accepted by Ben Winston, who co-founded Fulwell 73, which produced John's special.
The end of the yellow brick road: "We knew this show would be historic because it was Elton’s last ever show in North America on tour, we knew it’d be historic because it was Disney’s first ever live stream, we didn’t know it was going to be historic because it was going to win a man, who has created the soundtrack to all of our lives, who has done so much great for society, who is all of our heroes, we didn’t know it was going to win him an EGOT," Winston said during his speech.
Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium was a livestream of John's final North American show in Los Angeles, a meaningful stop on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The tour concluded in Stockholm in July.
What he's saying: "I am incredibly humbled to be joining the unbelievably talented group of EGOT winners tonight," John said in a statement. "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."
With his new EGOT status, John joins a list of creatives including Audrey Hepburn, Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Tim Rice, who John collaborated with on both The Lion King and Aida, and more. Viola Davis was the most recent inductee prior to John when she won a Grammy last year.