EGOT or GEGOT?

A dive into the history of the Golden Globes awards, and if it should be elevated to EGOT-level status

What do Ariana Grande, Dwayne Johnson, and Nicole Kidman have in common? They were all in attendance at the 2026 Golden Globes: the fastest-growing premier Hollywood awards show that kicks off the beloved “awards season.”

THE GILDED AGE: GOLDEN GLOBES HISTORY

The Golden Globes have existed since 1944, where an informal dinner with the world’s most talented filmmakers birthed the near century-old event. After its success in 1944, the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association decided to officially put on an annual gala-centric event starting with the 1945 awards show where Going My Way won Best Film.

Viewers may note that the Golden Globes’s categories are distinguished from other awards shows like the Academy Awards by having split categories (Drama and Musical/Comedy) for best film, actor, and actress; however, lesser known is that this practice dates all the way back to the 8th annual Golden Globes in 1951.

FANS AT AHS 

Today, many viewers of this year’s event cite their love for the awards and how the show came to be. Anderson’s own film and theatre department head, Mr. Weddle, said, “[The Golden Globes] combines both movies—films—and television shows, and I’m a big fan of both. So having both of those mediums in one place is really nice. It also includes comedy, and it’s a little bit more relaxed”

This sentiment is echoed by AHS students as well. “I think that it’s great to have it all in one place…I feel like I get a good piece of everything,” Audrey Mendralski (12) said. 

“I like that it covers a lot of genres,” Chloe Hibner (12) said 

GLOBES GAIN GROUND

The growing gala drew in 18 million viewers this year (via The Golden Globes), matching the viewership of the Oscars in 2025 and surpassing the Grammys’s 15.4 million, according to the New York Times. The Emmys, in comparison, drew just 7.4 million viewers in 2025, Variety reports. Weddle chalks it up to “a sign of the times.” “Television,” he said, “has become just as, if not more, prevalent in our discussions, in our watchlists. More people are watching television than going to the movies, we know that.”

This year, the Golden Globes expanded their genre reach even further by adding a “Best Podcast” award, won in its inaugural year by the Spotify-original podcast Good Hang with Amy Poehler. 

In addition to expanding its categorical offerings, the Golden Globes attracted A-List talent across the board. Everyone from Steven Spielberg to Emma Stone to Nicole Kidman to Adam Sandler was spotted in the room of attendees. Hibner said, “I actually really liked seeing Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner there together.” 

Nikki Glaser, the host of the awards night for the past two years, has been a crucial element of the Golden Globes’s recent success—fans find her very engaging. “I like her hosting style a lot because she…goes right up to the line without crossing it,” Hibner said. “I like that she sticks with the Golden Globes because then people expect her, and she can be consistent.”

Critics agree, as even Vogue’s own Culture Writer, Emma Specter reported: “Glaser crushed it in a way I’m simply unused to at this point in awards-show history."

EGOT OR GEGOT?

There are 21 ever EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winners, but adding the Golden Globes to this criteria pares the list down to just 16 individuals that have achieved this feat. Entertainers Helen Hayes, Mel Brooks, Richard Rodgers, Robert Lopez, and Jonathan Tunick, are in the small category of EGOT winners who have not won a Golden Globe.

So, after diving into the history of this eight-decade-old, glistening night, the question remains: should the Golden Globes be elevated to the coveted EGOT status? Should we add a letter to the acronym—is GEGOT the new EGOT? Well, let’s ask the interviewees.

• Mendralski: “Absolutely.”

• Hibner: “Yes. I think GEGOT is a good idea.”

• Weddle: “I think there’s room…I think if we are going to bump the Golden Globes into the same category…we should welcome it with open arms.”

I couldn’t agree more. The Golden Globes is in its prime and is performing better than ever. Nikki Glaser is hitting the mark every time, A-listers are more and more consistently showing up, and the award-per-commercial ratio keeps fans engaged without dragging or feeling rushed. Additionally, I find it particularly interesting to see what films, TV shows, and actors win at the Golden Globes, as they are often frontrunners for the Oscars and Emmys (e.g. Chalamet for Best Actor in Marty Supreme).

Overall, with its Oscar-level viewership, popularity amongst fans spanning numerous genres, and stellar reviews, the Golden Globes deserves a seat at the EGOT table.