Elton John Achieves EGOT Status

Elton John is already an icon and legend – and now he’s achieved EGOT status, as well. 

The 2024 Emmy Ceremony awarded Elton John an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for his special “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.” In winning that Emmy, John fulfilled the last letter in the EGOT acronym (which stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony). He is now the 19th person in the entertainment industry to EGOT. 

John is currently recovering from knee surgery, so he wasn’t at the Emmys. “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium” producer Ben Winston accepted the award on the singer’s behalf, and admitted that they weren’t initially aware of the significance of the win: 

“We knew this show would be historic because it was going to be Elton’s last ever show in North America on tour. We knew it would be historic because it was Disney’s first-ever live global stream,” Winston said in the acceptance speech. “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 — he’s done so much great for society, who is all of our heroes — we didn’t know that it was going to win him an EGOT.”

How Did Elton John EGOT? 

Here’s a breakdown of how Elton John reached EGOT status: 

• Emmys (1): A win in 2024 in the category of Outstanding Variety Special (Live) for his special “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.” 
• Grammys (6): Win in 1987 for”That’s What Friends Are For” (Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal); Win in1992 for “Basque” (Best Instrumental Composition); Wins in 1998 and 1999 for “Candle in the Wind 1997” (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance), a Grammy Legend Award, and Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (Best Musical Show Album). 
• Oscars (2): Win in 1994 for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King (Best Original Song); Win in 2019 for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman (Best Original Song). 
• Tonys (1): Win in 2000 for Aida (Best Original Score)

Other famous EGOT winners include Rita Moreno (West Side Story, Fast X), Mel Brooks (Spaceballs, History of the World Pt. 1), Whoopi Goldberg (Ghost, Sister Act), Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber, Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and R&B star John Legend.