22 Celebrities You Probably Had No Idea Are Grammy Award Winners
Michelle Obama has one, but Snoop Dogg doesn't.
It is true that the Grammy Awards are known as “music’s biggest night,” but they are much more than that. Many more trophies are handed out by the Recording Academy in non-musical categories, and when you find out who won them, it is even more surprising.
These unusual Grammy winners mostly come from one main source: the Best Spoken Word Album award, which was first awarded in 1959. Many statesmen won the prize thanks to their speeches, as well as poets, authors, and actors for reading audiobooks.
Winning a Grammy is no easy feat; however, the sheer breadth of categories has helped stars complete their full EGOT (basically winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). Many former presidents and first ladies have been honored by the Grammys, which has helped increase the non-Hollywood crowd.
For instance, Jimmy Carter is currently the president with the most wins, with three Grammys. Both Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, also have Grammys.
Scroll down and check out some of the most surprising Grammy wins that you probably have not heard about before. We are mostly focused on singers when it comes to Grammys, so excluding these individuals is not that strange after all.
1. Bo Burnham - Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2022
For his song “All Eyes On Me,” which was included in his Netflix special Inside.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock2. Louis C.K. - Best Comedy Album in 2022
For Sincerely Louis C.K., his first special since 2017.
Invision/AP/Shutterstock3. Michelle Obama - Best Spoken Word Album in 2020
For the audiobook of Becoming.
Suzanne Cordeiro/Shutterstock
4. Carrie Fisher - Best Spoken Word Album in 2018
For the audiobook of her memoir The Princess Diarist.
Marion Curtis/Starpix/Shutterstock
5. Lily Tomlin - Best Comedy Album in 1972 for This Is a Recording.
Matt Baron/Shutterstock
6. Martin Scorsese - Best Music Film for No Direction Home
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
7. Rashida Jones - Best Music Film in 2019
Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
8. Tiffany Haddish - Best Comedy Album for Black Mitzvah.
Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
9. Robin Williams - 9 Grammy Nominations and 5 Wins
The awards included Best Comedy Recording for Reality … What a Concept and Best Spoken Comedy Album for Robin Williams Live on Broadway.
Michael Caulfield/Getty Images for PCA
10. Bradley Cooper - Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with Lady Gaga
Peter Lindbergh
11. Steve Jobs - The Recording Academy’s Trustees Award in 2012.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
12. Magic Johnson - Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album in 1993
The former NBA player, who also happens to be HIV-positive, won the award for his audiobook What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS.
Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
13. Martin Luther King Jr. - Best Spoken Word Recording in 1971
It was for his speech "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam." It was his third nomination but his only win.
Howard Sochurek/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
14. Audrey Hepburn - Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 1994
Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
15. Barack Obama - Back-to-Back Grammys for Best Spoken Word Album
The former president won two Grammys for his books Dreams From My Father in 2006 and The Audacity of Hope in 2007.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
16. Betty White - Best Spoken Word Album in 2011
Amanda Edwards/WireImage
17. Stephen Colbert - Nominated for 3, Won 2
In 2010, he won Best Comedy Album for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! and Best Spoken Word Album for America Again: Re-Becoming The Greatness We Never Weren’t in 2014.
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images
18. Hillary Clinton - Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album for It Takes a Village in 1997
Dave Allocca/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
19. Bill Clinton - Nominated 4 Times, Won Twice
In 2004, he won Best Spoken Word Album for Children for Wolf Tracks and Peter and the Wolf and Best Spoken Word Album for his audiobook My Life in 2005.
L. Cohen/WireImage for The Recording Academy
20. Zach Braff - A Single Grammy Win
In 2005, he won Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media for Garden State.
Vera Anderson/WireImage
21. Kate Winslet - Best Spoken Word Album for Children in 1999
Jason Merritt/Getty Images
22. Whoopi Goldberg - Best Comedy Recording in 1986
Nancy R. Schiff/Getty Images
Props to the Recording Academy for also including these categories that are as important as all the others. This has helped diversify the winners of this award by acknowledging greatness in all shapes and forms.
However, it still feels strange to say that some of these individuals have Grammys when we are mostly used to musicians winning the award most of the time. But still, congratulations to all of them for the amazing achievements they accomplished to deserve this prestigious award. People need to be given the praise they deserve to encourage more greatness.
