Danielle Brooks, known for her roles in both Broadway and television, is now on the path to achieving the coveted EGOT status. Thanks to her recent Oscar nomination for her role as Sofia in “The Color Purple,” she has now been nominated for every EGOT letter.
Danielle Brooks’ recent Oscar nod also makes her the latest actor to receive nominations for both a Tony and an Academy Award for the same role. James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope (Tony: 1969/Oscar: 1970) and Viola Davis in Fences (Tony: 2010/Oscar: 2017) also have this accolade under their belts.
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Brooks’ journey towards the EGOT began in 2015 when she made her Broadway debut in the musical revival of “The Color Purple,” earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Her contribution to the musical also led to a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
In 2021, Brooks received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie as an executive producer on “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia.” She also received a Daytime Emmy nom for her role in “Peacemaker.”
READ: Viola Davis Achieves EGOT Status with Recent Grammy Win
Being nominated for the four major American entertainment awards (EGOT) is a rare feat, with only a handful of Black artists achieving this distinction. The list of 10 includes iconic figures such as Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Diahann Carroll, and Cynthia Erivo.
Of EGOT winners, there are only 19 overall winners in the competitive categories in Hollywood history. Of those 19, four Black individuals secure EGOT victories: Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, and the most recent addition, Viola Davis in 2023.
If Brooks wins the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar, she will be two awards away from official EGOT status. Her competition for the Oscar includes Emily Blunt, America Ferrera, Jodie Foster, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
The 96th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, March 10. The event, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will feature an earlier time slot of 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m. PT/7 p.m.-10:30 p.m. ET.