Viola Davis, one of the best actors of her generation, achieved EGOT status last night at the Grammys when she went home with the hardware for Best Audiobook (Narration and Storytelling), for reading her own memoir, Finding Me. (EGOT is when someone has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony).

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Next to what seems like an otherwise achievable* trifecta for powerhouse actors, putting the G in EGOT is often the heaviest lift. Davis is only the 18th person to reach EGOT status, and just the third Black woman. It must be particularly satisfying for Davis to reach this pinnacle performing such a deeply personal work; as she said in her acceptance speech:

I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola—to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, her everything. And it has been such a journey. I just EGOT!

*If you’re an incredible actor with a storied career and tremendous range.

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Jonny Diamond

Jonny Diamond

Jonny Diamond is the Editor in Chief of Literary Hub. He lives in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains with his wife and two sons, and is currently writing a cultural history of the axe for W.W. Norton. @JonnyDiamondJonnyDiamond.me