Let’s keep something in mind before jumping into this story. Singer and actress Jennifer Hudson came to our attention when she placed seventh on American Idol during its third season back in 2004. Hudson didn’t even come close to winning the competition but two years later Hudson made her film debut as Effie White in the movie musical Dreamgirls. The film turned out to be a career-defining moment for Hudson as she went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the youngest African-American to win in a competitive category. Fast forward to 2022 and Jennifer Hudson has now found herself making history as the seventeenth person to become an EGOT winner, per The Washington Post.
For those who are unfamiliar, an EGOT is a distinction given to someone that has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award during their career. Hudson already had an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar, and on Sunday she added a Tony to that mantle as a co-producer of A Strange Loop, which won for best musical. Hudson won her Oscar in 2007 for the aforementioned Dreamgirls, she took home two Grammys (best R&B album in 2009 and best musical theater album for the musical The Color Purple in 2017, and last year she claimed a Daytime Emmy for the animated short, Baba Yaga, which she helped voice and co-produce.
Hudson is also the second African-American female to garner EGOT status following Whoopi Goldberg. Other distinguished names on the EGOT winner’s list are Audrey Hepburn, Rita Moreno, and John Legend. Composer Richard Rogers was the first person to receive the honor back in 1962.
Congrats to Jennifer Hudson! She has proven to be a true talent across different areas of the industry and this latest victory shows just how great her journey has been. From being voted off American Idol in seventh place in 2004 to an EGOT winner in 2022.
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