10 queer entertainers on the verge of gaining EGOT status
So close, so coveted... who will be the next to win the achievement?
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The 2024 Tony Awards had us on our feet and hollaring as we watched some of our favorite queer artists and allies take home awards for their incredible work in the musical world of Broadway. Jonathan Groff broke down in tears, some of our favorite queer stars won awards, and we got to see some iconic performances from plays like The Outsiders, Merrily We Roll Along, and The Outsiders.
Awards show are always hit-or-miss, because sometimes it feels like a popularity contest and sometimes it truly feels like the best person won.
While we're not here to give a full rundown on the show, some of the wins from the night have us thinking about some of the iconic queer entertainers out there who are on their way to an EGOT status -- meaning they've won an award for an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Only 19 people have ever received this achievement -- including one of arguably the best queer performers of our time, Sir Elton John, who just completed his run at the 2024 Emmy Awards -- but there are also a number of queer entertainers who are well on their way to the achievement.
Here are 10 queer entertainers who can easily set their sights on EGOT status, and how close they are to it.
Angelina Jolie
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The incomparable Angelina Jolie just took one step closer to her EGOT status at the 2024 Tony Awards for her role as a producer in The Outsiders musical. She won her Oscar in 2000 for her role as Lisa Rowe in Girl, Interrupted, which also effectively solidified her in our minds for all time. Although this win only puts her halfway toward EGOT status, if anyone out there has it in them to complete it, it's bound to be her.
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Sarah Paulson
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Sarah Paulson also put herself one step closer to EGOT status at the 2024 Tony Awards when she took home the award for her starring role as Toni in Branden Jacobs Jenkins's Appropriate. She already has a well-deserved Emmy for her role as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016, though she's seen a number of other nominations from her time on American Horror Story. She's also only halfway there, but something tells us that, apart from everything she's already done, her career is only getting started.
Joel Grey
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Broadway star Joel Grey didn't come out until he was 82, but he started his run for an EGOT back in 1967 for his role as the Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret. His first Oscar came in 1972 when he reprised the role for the film adaptation. He received his first Grammy for the Anything Goes musical theater album in 2012. He's taken another four Tony nominations throughout his career and also won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. The only thing in his way is an Emmy, which he received a nomination for in 1993 after his performance in Brooklyn Bridge.
Cynthia Erivo
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The only thing standing in Cynthia Erivo’s way of an EGOT is an Oscar, which she very well may secure for herself after Wicked drops later this year. So far, she’s won a Tony, Grammy, and Daytime Emmy for her role as Celie Harris in The Color Purple. She's another rising star that we seem to fall in love with a little more every time we see her, so we're sure it's only a matter of time before she receives the coveted EGOT status.
Related: 5 moments from the 'Wicked' featurette that totally have us under the film's spell
Cynthia Nixon
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Another Cynthia who only has an Oscar in her way to the EGOT is Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon, who won an Emmy for her role as Miranda Hobbes on SatC and also one for her guest appearance in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. She took home her Grammy in 2009 for her time on Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth audiobook. She's won two of the four Tony's she's been nominated for, including one in 2006 for her lead role in Rabbit Hole and one as a featured actress in 2017 for The Little Foxes.
Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
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Benj Pasek and Justin Paul make up the duo known as Pasek and Paul, and they only have an Emmy standing in their way of an EGOT. They won best original song at the Oscars in 2017 for La La Land's "City of Stars," and also took home a Tony that same year for Dear Evan Hansen -- which also starred Ben Platt on both stage and in the film production. The following year, they received a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for the Dear Evan Hansen soundtrack.
Ben Platt
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As mentioned, Ben Platt was the star of Dear Evan Hansen, but he has done so much more. Although a lot of fans remember him as Benji from Pitch Perfect, Platt has received every award on his road to the EGOT from his performance in Dear Evan Hansen. He won a Tony for the role in 2017, then a Grammy in 2018 for his work on the soundtrack, then a subsequent Daytime Emmy Award for singing "You Will Be Found" on The Today Show. (As a side note, if you've never seen him live, you're seriously missing out. I speak from personal experience.) This means the only thing standing in his way is an Oscar, which he's sure to get at some point.
Billy Porter
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The only thing that's shocking about Billy Porter being on this list is the fact he hasn't already achieved his EGOT status. Oddly, the Oscar is the only thing in his way -- a recurring theme for some top talent on this list. He previously received a Tony Award for his role as Lola in Kinky Boots back in 2013, then also took home a Grammy for the same role in 2014. His Emmy, of course, happened because of his iconic and unforgettable performance as Pray Tell on FX's Pose in 2019, which also gave him the subsequent honor of being the first openly gay Black man to be both nominated and win an Emmy for best drama actor.
Marc Shaiman
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Marc Shaiman is a composer and lyricist who is yet another contender for the EGOT only obstructed by the Oscar -- even though he's received five nominations for them in the past. He won his first Emmy in 1992, then won a Grammy in 2002 for writing the music and co-writing the lyrics for Hairspray, which also landed him his Tony for Best Original Score in 2023. He won a subsequent Grammy in 2024 for Best Musical Theater Album for Some Like It Hot.
Lily Tomlin
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Lily Tomlin is an extraordinary actress who seems to strike gold everywhere she touches. She's won six of the 25 Emmy nominations she's had in various categories for acting and writing, took home a Grammy in 1971 for her This Is a Recording comedy album, and her first Tony was a Special Tony Award, a non-competitive honorary award, in 1977. She received her second and official Tony in 1986 for the one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Like many others, she only has the Oscar looming in her way of her EGOT status.
