EGOT is the shorthand for the grand slam of American show business: an Emmy for television, a Grammy for music, an Oscar for film and a Tony for theatre, all won by the same person. The acronym was coined in 1984 by the Miami Vice actor Philip Michael Thomas, but it stayed obscure until a 2009 storyline on the sitcom 30 Rock turned it into a punchline and then a buzzword.
The first person to complete the set was the composer Richard Rodgers, who added his Emmy in 1962 for the documentary series Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years. Britannica’s list counts 25 EGOT holders in all, 19 of them through competitive awards and the rest with a little help from honorary or special prizes. The most recent arrival on that list came in January 2024, when Elton John’s Emmy for the concert special Farewell From Dodger Stadium completed his collection. Plenty of stars are a single trophy short, perhaps the most glamorous frustration in entertainment.