BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 21, 2025--
Leading global talent, entertainment, sports, and advisory company United Talent Agency (UTA) has signed EGOT-winning, critically acclaimed, multi-platinum musician John Legend and his production company, Get Lifted, for global representation in all areas.
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The signing comes as Legend embarks on the North American leg of his global “Get Lifted 20th Anniversary Tour,” bringing his acclaimed Grammy ®-winning debut album back to the stage. In a career that has spanned just over two decades, Legend has garnered 13 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and four Emmy Awards – making him one of only nineteen people to obtain the prestigious EGOT status.
“John Legend’s impact on entertainment and culture is unparalleled,” said UTA Partner and Co-Head of Talent Jay Gassner. “UTA is proud to support his artistic and entrepreneurial vision across music, film, television, books, brands, and beyond.”
“John is a global musical icon and one of the most acclaimed, decorated artists of our time,” said UTA Partners and Co-Heads of Global Music David Zedeck and Sam Kirby Yoh. “The impact of his celebrated live performances powers his globally recognized brand the world over. We are thrilled to be joining his team.”
Legend’s unmistakable talent has been evidenced across his discography, with the albums Get Lifted (2004), Once Again (2006), Evolver (2008), Wake Up! (with The Roots) (2010), Love in the Future (2013), Darkness and Light (2016), A Legendary Christmas (2018), Bigger Love (2020), LEGEND (2022), LEGEND (Solo Piano Version) (2023) and My Favorite Dream (2024). Legend is currently gearing up to kick off the North American leg of his global “Get Lifted 20th Anniversary Tour,” bringing his Grammy®-winning debut album back to the stage and continuing to captivate audiences nationwide. Along with his recurring role as a coach for multiple seasons of hit reality competition series 'The Voice,' where he will return for Season 29, he also earned acclaim for his role of Jesus in NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” in 2018, for which he earned an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actor” and won the Emmy as a producer for “Outstanding Variety Special (Live).”
Beyond music, Legend is a visionary producer and storyteller. Alongside partners Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius, he co-founded Get Lifted Film Co., which has created a wide range of acclaimed projects across major networks and streaming platforms. Recent highlights include the Emmy-winning HBO documentary “1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed,” Paramount+’s “Loudmouth,” and Netflix’s hit series "Rhythm & Flow.” Upcoming projects include NBC/Peacock’s “Before I Let Go,” inspired by Kennedy Ryan’s best selling novel, “Blacktop Wasteland,” inspired by the S.A. Cosby novel, the Misha Green feature film “B-Sides,” and “Phantom,” a modern-day reimagination of “Phantom Of The Opera.” Get Lifted’s storytelling expertise also extends to books through their publishing arm, Get Lifted Books, which amplifies diverse voices.
A fervent advocate for social justice, Legend founded FREEAMERICA in 2014, aiming to transform the conversation around criminal justice policies and combat mass incarceration. He also serves on the boards of Harlem Village Academies and Management Leadership for Tomorrow, as well as advisory boards for The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice and Teach for All.
Further adding to his multihyphenate status, Legend has forayed into the entrepreneurial space. In 2023, Legend launched his self-care brand, Loved01, bringing consumers a more affordable skincare option, as well as dog lifestyle brand Kismet alongside wife Chrissy Teigen in 2024.
Legend continues to be managed by Friends At Work’s Ty Stiklorious, with legal representation from Aaron Rosenberg/Myman, Greenspan, Fox, Rosenberg, Mobasser, Younger & Light, as well as Nina Shaw/Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Leazcano.
ABOUT UTA
UTA is a premier global talent agency led by CEO David Kramer. Founded over three decades ago on the idea that representation could be done differently, UTA has built a reputation for its best-in-class, client-first approach — one that is innovative, collaborative, and deeply customized. The agency represents the most celebrated talent and brands across entertainment, sports, creators and culture, from iconic legends to next-generation talent. UTA’s success in film and television laid the foundation for a diversified, dynamic business with integrated capabilities that span film and T.V., music, creators, sports, brands, news, publishing, speakers, theater, and more. UTA is based in Los Angeles with offices across the U.S., London, and Munich.
United Talent Agency Signs John Legend
WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado discussed her country's future with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, even though he has dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump has raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela and signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s No. 2. Along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations and was set to deliver her first state of the union speech Thursday.
In endorsing Rodríguez so far, Trump has sidelined Machado, who has long been a face of resistance in Venezuela. She also had sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to the lunchtime meeting with Machado and called her “a remarkable and brave voice” for the people of Venezuela. But Leavitt also said Trump's opinion of Machado had not changed, calling it "a realistic assessment."
Trump has said it would be difficult for Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.
Leavitt went on to say that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.
Leavitt said Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. Machado previously offered to share with Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honor he has coveted.
“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado," the press secretary said, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”
Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she'd offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias."
After her White House stop, Machado plans to have a meeting at the Senate. Her Washington visit began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.
It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
Leavitt said Venezuela's interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and that Rodríguez's government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.
Rodríguez has adopted a less strident position toward Trump then she did immediately after Maduro's ouster, suggesting that she can make the Republican administration's “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, work for Venezuela — at least for now.
Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.
“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”
Even before indicating the willingness to work with Venezuela's interim government, Trump was quick to snub Machado. Just hours after Maduro's capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.”
Machado has steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize. She has since thanked Trump, though her offer to share the honor with him was rejected by the Nobel Institute.
Machado’s whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. She briefly reappeared in Oslo, Norway, in December after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.
The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. A photo showing her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office lives in the collective memory. Chávez considered Bush an adversary.
Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown by state security forces.
Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gestures to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado smiles on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado waves to supporters on Pennsylvania Avenue as she leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
FILE - U.S. President George Bush, right, meets with Maria Corina Machado, executive director of Sumate, a non-governmental organization that defends Venezuelan citizens' political rights, in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, May 31, 2005. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)
