ANOTHER AWARD FOR MEL BROOKS

Mel Brooks entered even more prestigious awards territory on Sunday, upgrading his EGOT to a PEGOT as he was recognized with the Career Achievement Award at the 84th annual Peabody Awards.

Brooks became only the fourth person to win a Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, behind Barbra Streisand, Rita Moreno and Mike Nichols. Billy Crystal presented the comedy icon with the honor at the organization’s Los Angeles ceremony. (A PEGOT can also refer to a Pulitzer instead of a Peabody, which just Richard Rodgers and Marvin Hamlisch have achieved.)

“Mel is a genius who believes that comedy should push boundaries, challenge societal taboos and yes, be a little vulgar when the mood calls for it — and with Mel, the mood often calls for it,” Crystal told the crowd at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. “Mel is one of the big reasons that I have a life in comedy. His fearless genius and boundary-pushing humor have been my guiding light since day one,” adding that Brooks has steered him through some of the most pivotal moments of his career.

“For over 70 years, Mel has entertained us. I just want to ask you folks, where would we be without him?” Crystal mused, become noting that Brooks had become “only the fourth PEGOT winner in the process — it’s a big deal, I’m just an ET.”

In his speech, Brooks admitted he wasn’t entirely sure what a Peabody was for, teasing, “When they said, ‘You’ve won a Peabody Award,’ I said, ‘Oh, no shit.’ I thought maybe it was for being the best-looking guy in show business. I had no idea what this award — it’s mostly for electronics. If you’re good at electronics, you can win one of these.”

He joked that he’d like to say he humbly accepted the award “but I’m not humble… Humility is not a part of my vocabulary.” And noting the A-listers who have received the Career Achievement Award in the past, Brooks added, “It’s been won by a distinguished group of esteemed, well-worth [people] winning this award and I feel a little — you really want me to be part of this? These are people that go to good restaurants,” to big laughter from the crowd. In closing, the star declared, “I promised the George Foster Peabody people I will not sell this one.”

Sunday night’s Peabody Awards marked the first time the ceremony has ever been held in Los Angeles, versus its normal home in New York City; the move was initially planned for 2020, but the in-person show has been consistently derailed for the past few years by the pandemic and then by last year’s writers strike...