20 surprising Grammy winners who aren't musicians

Rashida Jones is far more talented than she gets credit for, and considering her father’s music inclination, it’s not too surprising she also has a Grammy. Rashida took home the Best Music Film award in 2019 after working on the eponymous documentary about her father, the late Quincy Jones (who racked up more Grammys than almost anyone in history).

Of course, Viola Davis has a Grammy Award. She had to have something to fill the G in her EGOT status. Davis earned a Grammy in 2023 for her work narrating her memoir, Finding Me. 

Someone get Kate Winslet on Broadway so she can win a Tony and complete her EGOT. Winslet got off to an early start in her campaign for the award status after winning a Grammy in 1999 for Best Spoken Word Album. 

Bo Burnham’s blend of comedy and song was bound to win him a Grammy at some point. The hilarious man earned a Grammy in 2022 for his song “All Eyes On Me,” taking home Best Song Written for Visual Media. 

Quite a few political figures have Grammy Awards, too. Michelle Obama, former first lady, earned it in 2020 thanks to her work on her audiobook Becoming. The category, of course, was Best Spoken Word Album. 

Michelle Obama isn’t the only one in her household with a Grammy Award. Barack Obama has multiple wins for Best Spoken Word Album, dating all the way back to 2006 and 2008, both of which he won before he served as U.S. President. 

Yes, Elmo the Muppet has won a Grammy Award. Actually, he’s won multiple. Among the categories he’s won are Best Musical Album for Children and Best Spoken Word Album for Children. 

The Best Comedy Album category at the Grammys has let several unsuspecting celebrities take home some hardware. Louis C.K. is one such individual. Clearly, he’s funny, but it does seem odd at first to think of him having a Grammy Award. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received three Grammy nominations throughout his lifetime. He won once in 1971 in the category Best Spoken Word Recording, thanks to his speech “Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam.”

Lily Tomlin has all sorts of awards. Seriously, she’s only an Oscar away from an EGOT, and she’s got a bevy of other unique awards. Her Grammy came in 1972 in the category Best Comedy Album. 

Hillary Clinton won her first Grammy way back in 1997. The presidential nominee got the award for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album, and she received a second nomination in 2004. 

Hillary’s husband has his own Grammys, too. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has two Grammys on four nominations, the wins of which both came from the Best Spoken Word Album category. 

Martin Scorsese is no stranger to receiving major awards. Still, it is a little surprising that he has a Grammy. The famed director won Best Music Film in 2006 for his documentary about Bob Dylan called No Direction Home. 

Carrie Fisher never won an Emmy or an Oscar, but she did take home a Grammy. The Star Wars star beat out the competition in the Best Spoken Word Album category in 2018 thanks to her work recording her memoir The Princess Diarist.

Bradley Cooper has yet to nab an Oscar, but he’s got some Grammys to soften the blow. The actor won his first in 2019 thanks to the song “Shallow” from A Star Is Born, and he won his second in 2020, again for his work on A Star Is Born. He also earned one in 2025 for his work on Maestro. 

Steve Martin has more Grammys than he does Emmys. The comedic genius has won five of the little gramophones, two of which were for Best Comedy Album. He’s also a Grammy-winning musician, as he’s gotten some for his contributions to bluegrass music. 

The former president added Grammy Award winner to his list of accomplishments before his death in December 2024. Jimmy Carter racked up four Grammys over his lifetime, all winning for Best Spoken Word Album. He even won one posthumously. 

Zach Braff’s Grammy Award comes from a surprising category. In 2005, he won the Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media for his work on Garden State. 

Stephen Colbert has a great win rate at the Grammys. He’s taken home two out of the three he’s been nominated for: Best Comedy Album and Best Spoken Word Album in 2010 and 2014, respectively. 

After testing HIV-positive, Magic Johnson became an advocate for others with the disease. In 1993, he won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album for his audiobook What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS.