Jennifer Hudson, the multi-hyphenated singer, spoke with Gayle King of CBC Mornings about her recent Tony Awards win, which made her an EGOT awardee.

She recalled:

 “I did not fully see it coming. I went there to celebrate the cast for getting 11 nominations, and I don’t feel like I’ve been present.

And then when they said, ‘Strange Loop, best musical,’ I was cheering for them. And once we get on the stage, everybody started chanting, ‘EGOT, EGOT,’ and I was like, ‘Wait what?'”

That’s when it hit Hudson, but it’s possible it hasn’t hit her yet, because she said:

“You know, I’m still processing it. To be able to know fully what that means, the company that I’m in … because it came as a surprise.”

On Twitter, Hudson proudly displayed her trophies while wearing a baseball cap with the number 17. She captioned it:

“Counting down til my birthday! In a few days, I will be 41 but then again I will always be 17!”

According to the “Spotlight” singer, she added 17 to her long list of titles because she is the 17th EGOT winner.

As she showed off her ring that reads EGO and her separate necklace charm that says 17, she said:

“I call myself 17 because 17th EGOT. I’m the 17th.”

The acronym EGOT stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Artists who have won all four awards are highly regarded in the industry, as it demonstrates their mastery and excellence in music and acting.

Hudson is now the youngest EGOT awardee and only the second black woman to have received the prestigious honor.

The other EGOT winners are Whoopi Goldberg, Audrey Hepburn, Andrew Llyod Webber, Mel Brooks, John Legend, Marvin Hamlisch, and others.

The Broadway star has received not only the EGOT awards but also numerous BET Awards, People’s Choice Awards, Soul Train Awards, and other honors.

She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for her role in Dreamgirls. She also received honors from the British Academy Film Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the Black Reel Awards.

Hudson won Best R&B Album for “Spotlight” in 2009, and “The Color Purple” won Best Musical Theater Album in 2017.

She has received multiple Grammy nominations, including Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for “Respect” and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” in 2022.

In June, Hudson received the award for Outstanding Musical Production for “A Strange Loop.” The musical premiered in 2019, and it went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020.