John Roger Stephens
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John Roger Stephens, known as John Legend, is an American singer-songwriter and EGOT winner, born December 28, 1978. He debuted with Get Lifted in 2004, featuring the hit Ordinary People, and later won an Academy Award for Glory from the film Selma. He is married to model Chrissy Teigen and has four children.
Names, aliases, and relatives of John Legend — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
John Legend by the numbers — life, work, and family.
John Legend — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
At age 16, John Legend turned down offers from Harvard and Georgetown to attend the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a degree in English. Born in Springfield, Ohio on December 28, 1978, to Ronald Lamar Stephens and Phyllis Stephens, he also served as music and choir director at Bethel A.M.E. Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania for nine years, developing his musical skills.
John Legend began his career playing piano on Lauryn Hill’s Everything Is Everything and making uncredited appearances on Jay-Z’s Encore and Alicia Keys’s You Don’t Know My Name. In 2004, he signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music and released his debut album Get Lifted, which reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 and went double platinum. He won his first Grammy for Best New Artist in 2006 and later won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for Glory from the 2014 film Selma. In 2018, he became the first Black man to achieve EGOT status, winning an Emmy as a producer of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert to add to his Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. His hit single All of Me, written for his wife Chrissy Teigen, became a worldwide hit.
John Legend proposed to Chrissy Teigen on December 27, 2011, and they married on September 14, 2013. They have four children: daughters Luna, born April 14, 2016, and Esti, born January 13, 2023, and sons Miles, born May 16, 2018, and Wren Alexander. Legend wrote the song All of Me for Teigen. In September 2020, the couple suffered a miscarriage of a son they had named Jack.
John Legend became the first Black man to achieve EGOT status in 2018, winning an Emmy as producer of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert. Time magazine included him on its 100 Most Influential People list, with a tribute by Harry Belafonte. People magazine named him Sexiest Man Alive in 2019. His advocacy for social justice and his role as a pioneer for artists of color have contributed to his lasting legacy.
Browse the complete filmography of John Legend — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by John Legend — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
John Legend's bibliography — every authored, edited, and co-written book, ranked by edition count.
A wall of memorable lines from John Legend — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Am a Feminist. Women Are Discriminated Against in so Many Ways and They Make up Half the Population.
Little-known facts about John Legend — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
At age 16, Legend turned down offers from Harvard and Georgetown to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a degree in English.
John Legend is the fifteenth EGOT winner, the fourth person of color, and the first Black man to achieve this status. He, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Tim Rice all became EGOTs in 2018 as producers of Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert.
On Finding Your Roots, Legend learned his ancestor Peyton Polly was born a slave in 1797; after being freed, his children were kidnapped back into slavery. The case went to the governor, and some children were freed after the Civil War.
In the Wild music video, Legend and Teigen announced her third pregnancy in August 2020; they suffered a miscarriage on September 30, 2020, and had named the child Jack.
Legend met Kanye West through his college roommate, who was West’s cousin.
Harry Belafonte wrote the tribute for Legend’s inclusion in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list.
Legend has co-written, played on, or provided vocals for hits by Twista, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Slum Village, Dilated Peoples, The Black Eyed Peas, and Kanye West.
Legend and wife Chrissy Teigen have four children: daughters Luna, born April 14, 2016, and Esti, born January 13, 2023, and sons Miles, born May 16, 2018, and Wren Alexander.
Legend’s first major recording credit was playing piano on Lauryn Hill’s Everything Is Everything from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
For nine years, Legend served as music and choir director at Bethel A.M.E. Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Legend is a devoted Ohio State football fan, claiming he watches 90% of the Buckeyes’ games.
Legend proposed to Chrissy Teigen on December 27, 2011.
He married Teigen on September 14, 2013, after a six-year relationship and 20-month engagement.
Legend was nominated for a 2018 Emmy for Lead Actor in a Limited Series for playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, but lost to Darren Criss.
The University of Pennsylvania awarded Legend an honorary Doctorate in Music in 2014.
Legend was the first artist signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label, distributed by Sony Records.
People magazine named Legend the Sexiest Man Alive in 2019.
In many of his music videos, Legend casts wife Chrissy Teigen as his love interest.
Legend’s publicist is Cindi Berger.
His parents are Ronald Lamar Stephens and Phyllis Stephens.
Legend has a brother named Ron Stephens.
He was named after his granduncle John Roger Stephens, who lived from 1920 to 1988.
He is cousin to James L. Hale.
Legend wrote the hit song All of Me for his wife.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about John Legend.
Celebrities similar to John Legend — same craft, ranked by reach.
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