Viola Davis becomes the 18th person to achieve the EGOT

Viola Davis made history as the 18th Person to Achieve the EGOT – winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award at the just concluded 65th Grammy Award held on Sunday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. She capped her collection with the award of the ‘Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording’ for her autobiography ‘Finding Me.’

The 56-year-old superstar was among the eight Black entertainers that clinched the most prestigious entertainment award at the Los Angeles ceremony. The award-winning actress got nominated in only one category, which she went on to win that night.

The Grammy is a premier ceremony that mainly recognizes technical and genre categories. The Grammy event was hosted by comedian and YouTube star – Randy Rainbow. The four-hour show saw many Black entertainers picking up awards in different categories, including Nigeria’s sensational singer Tems, who won her first-ever Grammy Award in the category ‘Best Melodic Rap Performance,’ for her contribution to Future’s song ‘Wait For U’ which also featured Drake.

In 2016, Davis won ‘Best Supporting Actress for ‘Fences.’ She also won two Tony Awards for her theatre work – Featured Actress in a Play for ‘King Hedley II (2001),’ and ‘Lead Actress in a Play’ for ‘Fences (2010).’ Her Emmy Award recognized the TV Drama ‘How to Get Away with Murder.’

Some of the previous winners of the EGOT include Sir John Gielgud, Rita Moreno, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Legend, and Jennifer Hudson. Earlier, the EGOT star faced criticisms for her portrayal of the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama in the new U.S. TV drama series ‘The First Lady.’ Some viewers complained that her overly pursing lips and facial expressions were ‘distracting and insulting.’ In a BBC interview, Davis responded, “It is incredibly hurtful when people say negative things against your work’.

The audience at the ceremony was thrilled with scintillating performances from Bad Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Luke Combs, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith & Kim Petras, and Steve Lacy. Davis is an American actress and producer, who was born on August 11, 1965. She is the only Black American to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting and the third person to earn two interesting statuses (EGOT winner and Triple Crown of Acting).

Davis started her acting career in 1988 with appearances in small stage productions. She has won two Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, Theatre World Award, and other awards. She has appeared in numerous films, including Doubt (2008), The Help (2011), Prisoners (2013), Get On Up (2014), Lila and Eve (2015), Suicide Squad (2016), Widow (2018), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020), The Suicide Squad (2021), and The Woman King (2022).

“I just EGOT,” the visibly elated and emotional star announced on stage at the Grammy, thanking her family for being “the best chapter in my book.”