It goes without saying that achieving an EGOT is a big deal. The combination of winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony catapults artists into a rarefied circle that includes just 17 others at the moment, from Richard Rodgers and Helen Hayes to Audrey Hepburn, Whoopi Goldberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The most recent EGOT winners include John Legend, who completed the feat in 2018 when he earned a Tony alongside Webber and Tim Rice as executive producers of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, and Jennifer Hudson, who became one of the youngest EGOT winners in history in 2022 when she won a Tony as a producer of the Broadway smash A Strange Loop, 16 years after she took home the best supporting actress Oscar for her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls.
As for who the next EGOT winner could be, it’s anyone’s guess. There are a number of artists for whom the distinction remains so close they can practically taste it, with just one award of the four left to win. Among those stars are Adele, who added an Emmy to her collection of 15 Grammys and single Oscar for her November 2021 CBS concert special Adele One Night Only, and Dear Evan Hansen sensation Ben Platt.
Others, like Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, have been accumulating the necessary trophies to achieve an EGOT since the 1960s. Bette Midler and Cyndi Lauper each began their journey to near-EGOT status with a best artist win at the Grammys in, respectively, 1974 and 1985. Each of these female powerhouses needs to win an Academy Award to complete the circle.
Below, Billboard has rounded up a sampling of musicians who are one competitive award short of clinching an EGOT. (Note: Only living musicians have been included in this list.)
