John Legend Says He's Breathing "Rarefied Air" As An EGOT Winner

John Legend has earned himself a place in the constellations.

BYBrynjar Chapman
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Of all the elite groups in the entertainment business, the EGOT club is the most exclusive. Only 15 people have what has become known as an EGOT: an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar ad Tony. What makes it especially hard to win one is that the recipient needs to be proficient in all areas of show biz: TV, music, movies and theatre. Alternatively, you can be a musician, like John Legend.

The future secretary of state to Kanye West became the second youngest to achieve EGOT status when he won a creative arts Emmy for “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (Legend played Jesus). The category of the win was outstanding variety special (live).

For some context, a few others who have EGOTs are Whoopi Goldberg and Mel Brooks. When asked about becoming royalty, Legend admitted:  “I don’t know if it can get any better.” He also said that he's glad that his turn as Jesus was what got him the EGOT: "it feels extra special. And for that to be the final thing I needed for the EGOT is even better.”

In an Instagram post celebrating the honour, Legend wrote: "So happy to be part of this team. So honored they trusted me to play Jesus Christ. So amazed to be in such rarefied air."

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