Elton John joined one of the most exclusive clubs in the entertainment industry on Monday when he became an EGOT holder after winning an award at the 2024 Emmy Awards ceremony.
The 76-year-old music icon won in the Outstanding Variety Special category for his well-received special Farewell From Dodger Stadium.
But despite the monumental accomplishment, Elton wasn’t there in person in Los Angeles to accept the award, as he had to sit out the show due to his recent knee surgery.
This year’s Emmys featured several high-profile wins for British actors, including Succession star Matthew Macfadyen, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the hit HBO show, which finished up its fourth and final season last year.
The coveted EGOT status includes the initials of the top prizes for television, music, film and theatre: the Emmy, the Grammy, the Oscar and the Tony, respectively.
Elton John joined one of the most exclusive clubs in the entertainment industry on Monday when he became an EGOT holder after winning an award at the 2024 Emmy Awards ceremony; seen July 2022 in Philadelphia
Although Elton wasn’t there in person as he recovered from knee surgery, his husband David Furnish was on hand and he proudly displayed the special’s Emmys
Elton became the 19th person to ever win all four of the awards in competitive categories, though six other people have secured EGOT status via honorary awards.
Because he couldn’t be at the Emmys in person, the special’s executive producer Ben Winston delivered the acceptance speech.
‘We did know this was going to be historic because it was going to be Elton’s last ever show in North America,’ Winston said.
‘We didn’t know it was going to be historic because it was going to win a man who has created the soundtrack to all of our lives, who has done so much great for society, who is all of our heroes — we didn’t know that it was going to win him an EGOT,’ he added.
Elton was also represented at the ceremony by his husband David Furnish.
Furnish, a filmmaker who married the singer–songwriter in 2014 — after previously establishing a domestic partnership in 2005 — was on hand to represent his husband.
He could be seen proudly beaming as he held two of the Dodger Stadium special’s Emmys in the winners’ room.
Furnish said that his husband ‘screamed out loud’ when they called him in the middle of the night back in the UK to tell him had become an EGOT winner.
‘He’s had his left knee replaced — which isn’t surprising when you think of the number of pianos he’s jumped off,’ Elton’s husband added.
John’s Dodger Stadium appearance capped off the North American portion of his farewell tour, which has grossed nearly a billion dollars, according to Billboard.
The hitmaker addressed his fans later on Instagram with a post in which he gushed that he was ‘on cloud nine’ after winning.
‘Receiving this recognition is a testament to the passion and dedication of everyone involved, and I am so deeply grateful,’ he added.
John said he was ‘gutted’ that he couldn’t attend in person, and he noted that he had undergone a recent ‘knee operation.’
He added a joking ‘gentle reminder’ that the surgery may have been a ‘reminder’ of a ‘lifetime spent jumping off pianos,’ which he illustrated with an old performance photo.
‘My heartfelt thanks go out to the Academy and all those who took the time to vote. This award reflects the collective effort and creativity of an amazing team…’ he continued.
Among those he thanked were the band members who played on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Because Elton couldn’t be at the Emmys in person, the special’s executive producer Ben Winston delivered the acceptance speech
But the hitmaker addressed his fans later on Instagram with a post in which he gushed that he was ‘on cloud nine’ after winning, before saying he was ‘gutted’ to miss it
‘Your commitment and talent have always been the driving force that keeps our incredible fans entertained night after night,’ he wrote.
John also shared thanks to his guests who were featured in the Dodger Stadium special: Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile, and Kiki Dee, as well as his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin.
‘Thank you to all the fans, friends, and collaborators who have supported me throughout the years,’ he added.
John concluded with a reference to his new EGOT status.
‘Honoured to have joined the hallowed ranks of EGOT winners, here’s to the joy of music and the magic it brings to our lives!’ he gushed.
The hitmaker is the winner of five Grammy awards, as well as two Oscars — for The Lion King’s Can You Feel The Love Tonight and his Rocketman biopic’s (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again — plus a Tony award for his score to the Broadway musical Aida, and he can now add his Emmy into the mix.
John’s special was a tribute to his two iconic sold-out shows at Dodger Stadium in 1975, when he donned a sequin-covered Dodgers uniform.
That was before baseball stadiums became regular venues for the most high-profile musicians, and the last concert held at the stadium was by The Beatles in 1966, shortly before they retired from live performances. His two sold-out shows were a testament to the enormous popularity and acclaim that John attracted in the 1970s.
During those shows, the Benny And The Jets singer came on stage in a sequin-covered Dodgers uniform to celebrate the monumental accomplishment.
Although he had a harder time appealing to fans and critics in the 1980s, Elton John’s commercial and critical evaluations shot up again in the 1990s.
During that decade, he earned the distinction of having the biggest-selling physical single ever when his 1997 version of Candle In The Wind — a version of the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ode to Marilyn Monroe was redone with new lyrics paying tribute to the late Princess Diana — sold an astounding 33 million copies.
John’s special was a tribute to his two iconic sold-out shows at Dodger Stadium in 1975, when he donned a sequin-covered Dodgers uniform
That was before artists regularly played baseball stadiums, and the last musical concert there was a Beatles concert in 1966; seen on November 20, 2022, at Dodger Stadium
Elton was just one of the A-list Brits to win at the Emmys. Matthew Macfadyen lived up to expectations with a Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series win for Succession as well.
He starred on the hit HBO series — which concluded its fourth and final season last year — as Tom Wambsgans, the on-screen husband to Sarah Snook’s Shiv Roy who first rises to lead the right-wing cable TV network established by Logan Roy (Brian Cox) before duking it out with Logan’s children to control his empire.
Series creator Jesse Armstrong, who also wrote much of the show, accepted the award later in the evening for Outstanding Drama Series.
Armstrong had previously co-created the popular series Peep Show.
He also earned an earlier Emmy on Monday for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Succession.
After thanking his writers room and the cast and crew of Succession, Armstrong gave warm thanks to members of the American entertainment industry for being welcoming to himself and other artists from the UK — before throwing in a quick dig at conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who Armstrong finally admitted last year was the primary inspiration for Brian Cox’s character Logan Roy.
‘I want to say thank you to the wider sort of creative community in the US. I come from the UK, and our show is about some things that are close to the center of American life and politics, and we’ve always been met with generosity and good faith, and that’s part of America’s tradition of being very welcoming to outsiders,’ he said warmly. It’s very nice.’
Then he added: ‘For some reason, the name of n-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch comes to mind.
‘I can’t speak for him, but I’m grateful for the generosity I’ve been shown working in this country,’ he said to laughter from the audience, before ending on a more emotional note.
‘It was a great sadness to leave the show, but it was a great pleasure to do it,’ he concluded.
The English filmmaker Mark Mylod — who directed 2022’s The Menu — was awarded Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series for Succession.
British comedian John Oliver, who obtained US citizenship in 2019, won Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for HBO’s Last Week Tonight.
Oliver joked that he wanted the audience to help him muster up some Pokemon cards to bring home to his children before he got to LAX.
He also joked that he hoped host Anthony Anderson’s mother Doris Hancox would play him off, so started listing Liverpool FC’s starting 11 players in hopes of stirring up her wrath.
This year’s Emmys featured high-profile wins for British actors, including Succession star Matthew Macfadyen, who won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the hit HBO show, which finished up its fourth and final season last year
Macfadyen had been the frontrunner after winning earlier honors during awards season
Series creator Jesse Armstrong, who also wrote much of the show, accepted the award later in the evening for Outstanding Drama Series. Armstrong had previously co-created the popular series Peep Show. He included a dig at Rupert Murdoch, who inspired the show
The English filmmaker Mark Mylod — who directed 2022’s The Menu — was awarded Outstanding Direction for a Drama Series for Succession
British comedian John Oliver, who obtained US citizenship in 2019, won Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for HBO’s Last Week Tonight
The 75th Emmy Awards are taking place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
The strike-delayed ceremony gathers Hollywood’s biggest stars as they celebrate the best of primetime television over the year of 2023.
Comedian and Black-ish star Anthony Anderson — who has been publicly accused of sexual assault multiple times between 2004 and 2018 — will be making his debut as the host alongside an all-Black executive producer team for the first time in Emmy history.
Jason Bateman, Quinta Brunson, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Jodie Foster, Jon Hamm, Ken Jeong and Joel McHale are among the stars announced to take the stage on Monday.
And the nominees include Pedro Pascal, Hannah Waddingham, Keri Russell, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Hart, Elisabeth Moss, Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk.
The awards ceremony normally occurs in September but was delayed because writers and actors were on strike at the time last year.
Due to the industry strikes, the Emmys were postponed to 2024 on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the United States and arrives in the heels of the Golden Globes.
As it did at the Globes — which celebrated 2023’s top films and television shows on January 7 — Succession dominates most categories.
Guests take photographs on the red carpet prior to the start of arrivals for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, January 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles
At this year’s Emmys, Succession leads nominations with 27 nods. The series’ stars Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox are up against each other for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series. Their co-star Sarah Snook is also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama
At this year’s Emmys, Succession leads nominations with 27 nods.
The Last of Us follows closely behind with 24, The White Lotus with 23, and Ted Lasso with 21.
Succession is in the running for the Outstanding Drama Series for the third time after previously winning the title in 2020 and 2022.
The series’ stars Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox are up against each other for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series.
Their costar, Sarah Snook, is also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama.
The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal is up for lead actor in a drama while his co-star, Bella Ramsey, is nominated for lead actress.
Bad Sisters’ Sharon Horgan, Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey, The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elisabeth Moss and The Diplomat’s Keri Russell are also in the same category for best leading actress in a drama.
The Bear duo Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are also up for lead actor and supporting actress, respectively, for their roles in the restaurant dramedy’s debut season.
Due to the industry strikes and delay, the first season of The Bear is in the contending rather than the second season, which was released this past summer.
For that reason, many of nominated television shows, which were released up to 19 months ago, are now receiving their moment.
Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is up for Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series against Beef, Daisy Jones & The Six, Fleishman Is In Trouble and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
For Outstanding Comedy Series, The Bear is up against Ted Lasso as well as Abbott Elementary, Barry, Jury Duty, Only Murders In The Building, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Wednesday.
At this year’s award show, there will be a series of cast reunions and recreations to honor and commemorate beloved, classic television series like The Sopranos, Cheers, I Love Lucy and All In The Family.
Stars from Grey’s Anatomy, American Horror Story and Ally McBeal will also reunite onstage while presenting awards at the Emmys.
The Last of Us received 24 nominations. Pedro Pascal is up for lead actor in a drama while his co-star Bella Ramsey is nominated for lead actress
The Bear duo Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are also up for lead actor and supporting actress, respectively, for their roles in the restaurant dramedy’s debut season. Due to the industry strikes and delay, the first season of The Bear is in the contending rather than the second season, which was released this past summer
Fan-favorite comedians and presenter duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who is also nominated for Outstanding Host of a Reality or Competition Program, will also take the stage at the award ceremony.
The show will kick off at 5 p.m. PT and can be streamed live on Fox or FXX through streaming services such as Hulu + Live TV, Sling, DirecTV, YouTube TV and FuboTV.
The day after the award ceremony, the Emmys will be available to stream on Hulu.
The first Emmy Award was held back in 1949 to celebrate the artistic and technical merit for the television industry.