| 100% | ANTOINEFUQUA | 12 | 14-Across and 27-Across director who directed music videos for Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Coolio in the 1990s |
| 38% | GUSVANSANT | 10 | "Milk" director who also directed the music video for Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge": 3 wds. |
| 37% | PEELE | 5 | Director Jordan who appears in the music video for "Weird Al" Yankovic's "White & Nerdy" |
| 37% | DAVIDFINCHER | 12 | "Gone Girl" director who also directed the music video for Madonna's "Vogue": 2 wds. |
| 36% | SPIKEJONZE | 10 | "Her" director who also directed the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice": 2 wds. |
| 32% | ANNAQUINDLEN | 12 | "One True Thing," 14-Across, and 26-Across/29-Across novelist who won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1992 (2 wds.) |
| 32% | AVA | 3 | DuVernay who directed the music video for Jay-Z's "Family Feud" |
| 32% | CHLOEZHAO | 9 | 16-Across director who won an Academy Award for Best Director in 2021, becoming the first non-white woman to win a directing Oscar (2 wds.) |
| 32% | ALBA | 4 | Jessica who appeared in the music video for Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” |
| 31% | BAZLUHRMANN | 11 | "Moulin Rouge!" director who wrote and directed the 2022 music biopic "Elvis" (2 wds.) |
| 31% | ODELL | 5 | NFLer Beckham Jr. who appeared in the music video for Nicki Minaj's "Bed" |
| 31% | POSTMALONE | 10 | 18-Across, 27-Across, and 34-Across rapper/singer who won the 2025 American Music Award for Favorite Country Male Artist (2 wds.) |
| 31% | EWANMCGREGOR | 12 | Actor who played 29-/32-Across in the 1990s and 2000s: 2 wds. |
| 31% | KARLIEKLOSS | 11 | American model and computer programmer who appeared in the music video of "Bad Blood": 2 wds. |
| 31% | MARTINSCORSESE | 14 | New Hollywood director who won an Oscar for "The Departed," and is the most-nominated director alive in terms of Oscars: 2 wds. |
| 31% | SATAN | 5 | Whom Lil Nas X gives a lap dance, in the music video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” |
| 30% | LORENGRAY | 9 | TikTok star and singer who appeared in the video for Taylor Swift's "The Man": 2 wds. |
| 30% | RUPERTSANDERS | 13 | Director of the "Ghost in the Shell" movie, who has also directed "Snow White and the Huntsman" previously : 2 wds. |
| 30% | HIDEO | 5 | ___ Kojima, video director who held the record for the most followers for a videogame director on Instagram and Twitter, as of April 2020 |
| 30% | NEYMAR | 6 | Brazilian FIFA athlete who plays for Santos FC and someone you can play as in the video game "Fortnite" |
| 30% | GEORGECLOONEY | 13 | "Good Night, and Good Luck" director who directed the 2023 film adaptation of Daniel James Brown's nonfiction novel "The Boys in the Boat" (2 wds.) |
| 30% | ROREM | 5 | Ned, who composed "Air Music: Ten Etudes for Orchestra", first played in '75 and winner of the Pulitzer in '76 |
| 30% | MARENMORRIS | 11 | 1-Across, 12-Across, 27-Across, and 50-Across country/pop singer who was named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2020 (2 wds.) |
| 30% | RALPHELLISON | 12 | 14-Across and 28-Across novelist who was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1985 (2 wds.) |
| 29% | CLEO | 4 | British singer Laine who is the only woman to be nominated for Grammys in the jazz, popular, and classical music categories |
| 29% | TIMBERLAKE | 10 | Justin ___, singer who won Video of the Year for "Mirrors" at MTV Video Music Awards in 2013 |
| 29% | PEROT | 5 | Politician Ross who ran for president in the 1990s |
| 29% | KATY | 4 | Singer ___ Perry who won Video of the Year Award for "Firework" at MTV Video Music Awards in 2011 |
| 29% | JONFAVREAU | 10 | Actor who plays Happy Hogan in Marvel films, and has directed the pilot for "The Orville": 2 wds. |
| 29% | POSTMALONE | 10 | 18-Across, 27-Across, and 34-Across rapper whose "Rockstar" won the 2018 Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Song and the 2018 MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year (2 wds.) |