Viola Davis hailed as 'living legend' by Jennifer Hudson after making EGOT status with first Grammy

Jennifer Hudson has hailed EGOT Viola Davis as a 'living legend' after the American actor's historic win at the Grammys last night for her memoir, Finding Me.

The US singer-actress took to Twitter on Sunday to congratulate Davis on her incredible triumph, telling fans it's 'time to celebrate' the 57-year-old's impressive accomplishment. 

Davis became the 18th person in history and the third Black woman ever to achieve EGOT status at the Grammys 2023, after bagging the iconic music award for her audiobook memoir, Finding Me. The Internet was quick to react to the exciting news, with A-listers like Jennifer Hudson leading the virtual standing ovation for the Fences star. 

"Hold the line !!!!!!!" the American singer tweeted. "Viola Davis just became EGOT #18 !!! Omg U are absolutely everything! Congratulations to a living LEGEND. Time to celebrate !!!" Hudson also holds EGOT status, having joined the exclusive club last year after winning a Tony for her production work on the musical, A Strange Loop. 

Davis also spoke out following her Grammy win, taking to Instagram to share a clip of her emotional acceptance speech. 

"The 6 year old Viola is screaming!!!!! She is so excited at the 57-year-old she will become," the Academy Award winner captioned the video, which also sees Davis reflect on her younger self. 

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

The uplifting post has been inundated with comments from Davis's famous fans, including one from fellow Oscar winner Halle Berry, who wrote, "Yes, sis…HELL YES!!"

Other celebrities to praise the star were US comedian Chelsea Handler, who said, "Yeah!!! You’re the best," and Billy Porter, who simply wrote, "EGOT!!!" with emojis of firecrackers and bouquets. 

What does EGOT mean? 

A person who holds EGOT status has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. The prestigious 'club' was first started by Richard Rodgers in 1962 and today has just 18 members, including Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, and Audrey Hepburn. 

What did Viola Davis win a Grammy for? 

Davis won a Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, after wowing the Recording Academy voters with the audiobook of her memoir, Finding Me. The 2022 biography sees the EGOT winner reading the 'deeply personal account' of her life story, beginning with her childhood growing up in Rhode Island all the way up to her present-day career as an A-list actor.