Whether you think Real Housewives of Atlanta star and Xscape singer Kandi Burruss is only known in Atlanta or known worldwide, as of this week, her talents have officially earned her official recognition from the Tony Awards.
Thanks to August Wilson’s acclaimed play, The Piano Lesson, which had its Broadway revival during the fall 2022-23 season and was subsequently met with rave reviews and an eventual Tony nom for Best Revival of a Play, Burruss can now add “Tony-nominated producer” to her name.
This nod also came just 24 hours after she was also nominated for a Southeast Emmy—a smaller yet official division of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences—that covers Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina. The Emmy nomination is also due to her producer credit for a Spanish TV show, La Musica De Familia, according to Revolt.
If she wins the aforementioned Tony and Emmy, then those wins coupled with her previous Grammy wins nearly two decades ago will make Burruss only one award short (the Oscar) from joining EGOT status. This would also make her the first Housewife from any franchise to achieve that status and the eighth Black person ever.
“Y’all I’ve been screaming & praising God all morning! Wow! Just wow!,” she wrote in a post to Instagram sharing the news. “We got the Tony nomination yall! I’ve been praying for this. To share this moment with my husband is just awesome.”
She continued, “To our whole @thepianolessonplay family I love y’all! Let’s take it all the way home!”
In addition to Burruss, one of the plays stars and entertainment legend Samuel L. Jackson also earned a Tony nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in A Featured Role In a Play. Congratulations Kandi!