Respect star Jennifer Hudson made history Sunday night after winning a Tony Award as co-producer of A Strange Loop, CNN reported Monday. Hudson's win for best musical at the 75th Tony Awards places her in the elite club of EGOTs—someone who has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony Award in their career.
The multi-talented star won an Oscar for best-supporting actress in 2007 for her role in Dreamgirls, two Grammys (one for best R&B album in 2009 and another in 2017 for best musical theater album for The Color Purple), and a 2021 Daytime Emmy for her work on the animated short Baba Yag.
A Strange Loop began the night with 11 nominations, the most of any production. With book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson and co-produced by Hudson, the musical follows a queer Black writer as he struggles with his screenplay and his identity; the show took home the Tony for Best Musical and Best Book for a Musical.
Hudson is the 17th artist to join the EGOT winners' circle and only the second Black woman to receive the coveted designation; the first was Whoopi Goldberg, who achieved EGOT status in 2002. The exclusive club also touts names such as Rita Moreno, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and John Legend as members.
Hudson has had Her Eye on EGOT Status for Quite A While
Jennifer Hudson may be an EGOT now, but the Chicago-native had humble beginnings in her career: Hudson got her start on the talent-search reality show American Idol, finishing seventh in the show's third season. The singer made her film debut as Effie White in 2007's Dreamgirls, which earned Hudson the first of her EGOT-eligible awards.
In a 2020 interview with People magazine, Hudson joked about her ambitions, "I got a dog and named it Oscar, and then I won my Oscar. And then I got a dog and named it Grammy, and then I won my Grammy. So I think I should get some dogs and name them Emmy and Tony—and it'll give me good luck, and I'll win. [They're] like my good luck charms."
On a more serious note, the singer-actress expressed excitement to explore other avenues in entertainment, saying, "I would love to do television and theater."
With both of those now under her belt, it's safe to say that however she did it, it worked.
Congratulations, Jennifer!