What’s an EGOT, anyway?

I go, you go, we all go for EGOT. vox.com/culture CULTURE   As 30 Rock describes it, the EGOT is “a good goal for a talented crazy person!” But what’s behind our cultural obsession with scoring the four most prestigious awards in entertainment: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony? Aja Romano explores the phenomenon, from Miami Vice star Philip Michael Thomas’s determination to land the title in the '80s to its popularization by 30 Rock’s Tracy Jordan, who achieves it with a Tony for reading the phone book and an Oscar for a Precious parody called “Hard to Watch, based on the novel Stone Cold Bummer by Manipulate.” That perfect show aside, audiences have been fascinated by the EGOT ever since, even though the majority of the 19 people who’ve won it (25 if you count “honorary” awards) are composers you’ve probably never heard of. “Everyone needs a gratuitous list of totally arbitrary criteria to feel passionately about,” writes Romano. —[Rebecca Jennings](//link.vox.com/click/34283897.19494/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9jb25zdGFuY2VncmFkeT91ZWlkPTNhNTA3ZmY1ZmYzNzViYTNjYWU5MjFkMzUzMTNiN2Nk/6094319a7418d377a33af3d5Cac39644d, senior correspondent P.S. Vox launched a new daily newsletter. [Sign up here]( to get a deep dive into one big story, plus the most compelling news of the day. What does the EGOT even mean, anyway? [an photo of hip hop artist Common, holding a microphone]( Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy Humans are funny little creatures. We love making lists, participating in oddball competitions, and creating weirdly specific metrics to be proud of — all quirks that join together in the annual EGOT watch, when fans and record keepers alike obsess over who will be the next creator to snag not one, not two, but all four of the entertainment industry’s most prestigious awards: the Emmy, the Grammy, the Oscar, and the Tony. To EGOT (because this acronym can be both a noun and a verb) is a genuinely rare accomplishment and also a curious one. After all, plenty of folks have the Emmy and the Oscar, but including the Grammy and the Tony makes things truly interesting. It’s the unique entertainer who’s booked and busy, not just on screens big and small, but in the music studio and onstage. In other words, it really is, as 30 Rock put it, “a good goal for a talented crazy person!” Despite the long odds, [no fewer than 19 talented creators have pulled it off]( — 25 if you count “honorary” awards (though whether those should count is a subject of heated debate). The most recent entry into the clubhouse? Elton John, who snagged the EGOT title in January after garnering an Emmy for his glitzy farewell concert. Talk about going out on top! EGOT watchers and betting rings are already paying detailed attention to who’s up next in the EGOT lineup. 2024’s best shot probably goes to the songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who could nab a couple of Emmys this fall. The upcoming Grammy awards won’t see any winners crossing the EGOT threshold, but the infamously long list of nominees could push several entertainers one award closer to the coup. The next real shot anyone has at snagging the EGOT arrives in June, when hip-hop artist Common could win a producer Tony for this season’s revival of The Wiz — though if that happens, it won’t be [without ruffling the feathers]( of those who think producer credits shouldn’t count toward the EGOT. Why so much drama over an acronym? Can we really attach objective meaning and value to winning four fairly disparate awards? And why is the EGOT field so crowded with musical theater composers? [Read the full story »](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Tiktok is full of tryhard slang TikTok has seen a bizarre (and annoying) explosion of language as creators rush to coin terms. [Read the full story »]( The Grammys’ Beyoncé snubs speak to a deeper problem They’re emblematic of how the awards have failed Black artists. [Read the full story »](   Support our work We aim to explain what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Support our mission by making a gift today. 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