“E” is for Emmy
By Caroline Miller
Throughout his career, Elton has received numerous accolades honoring his work throughout the world of entertainment. Just recently, Elton received an award that makes for a milestone in his career, awarding him with an achievement attained by only a select number of artists.
On Jan. 15, the 75th Emmy Awards were presented, honoring achievements in the television industry. Television may not be the first industry that comes to mind when you think of Elton, but he was among the nominees in one of the categories of the evening.
Elton’s special, “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” was among the nominees for “Outstanding Variety Special (Live).” The special aired on Disney+ and showcased Elton’s final US concert on Nov. 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.
Not only was Elton among the nominees, but he scored the win for the category. Elton has achieved a number of various awards in entertainment, but never an Emmy, until this year. This particular award makes for a momentous accomplishment for Elton. Not only does the award make him an Emmy winner, but it also now makes him an EGOT winner. EGOT status is achieved when an artist has received an award in the four major entertainment award categories, which include the Emmys, the Grammys, the Oscars, and the Tonys. Just 19 artists have earned EGOT status, including Viola Davis, Audrey Hepburn, and Tim Rice, just to name a few.
Due to recovering from a recent operation in which he had his left knee replaced, Elton himself was not at the ceremony. Although unable to attend, fans did receive a social media post from Elton expressing his gratitude for the honor. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Elton’s husband, David Furnish, spoke about Elton’s reaction to winning his Emmy:
“We woke him up by FaceTime. He was in bed and he screamed down the phone. He was so happy, he was like, ‘Yes!’”
In the interview, David also expressed how much achieving an Emmy meant to Elton:
“It meant a lot to him. This was one that he really wanted to…he felt very strongly about. He was so proud of the shows that we put out at Dodger’s, and you know, he likes awards and he wanted to be an EGOT!”
In accepting the award, the team behind the special described how they knew it would be historic, while also describing the one way which they did not know just how historic it would prove to be:
“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’s 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.”
