Viola Davis Secures EGOT Status at The 2023 Grammys

The actress is the third Black woman in history to earn the EGOT title.

Viola Davis has officially joined the EGOT club.

Tonight, the 57-year-old actress and author completed her grand slam of the major awards circuit by taking home the trophy for "Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording" at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for the audiobook of her memoir, Finding Me.

Davis beat out audiobooks by Jamie Foxx (Act Like You Got Some Sense,) Mel Brooks (All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business,) Questlove (Music is History,) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World,) to earn the first Grammy of her career and secure the uncommon title during the un-aired portion of the ceremony.

The golden gramophone adds to a well-furnished cabinet of awards won over the last 25 years. Davis earned her first of two Tonys for her role in the 2001 production of King Hedley II. Her second came in 2010 when she was honored for her role in the 2010 play, Fences. Seven years later, Davis won an Oscar for her role in the film adaptation. And in 2015, Davis became the first Black woman to win the lead drama actress category at the Emmys when she snagged the award for her role in How to Get Away with Murder. 

Viola Davis is the 18th person in history to reach EGOT status. She's also the third Black woman to earn the honorific, following Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Hudson.

"It has just been such a journey," Davis said in her acceptance speech at the Grammys Sunday night. "I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, her everything," the actress added.

The 2023 Grammys continue this evening at 8pm EST with the main ceremony. Tune in to CBS or Paramount+ to watch it live.