ACTRESS. SINGER. SPOKESPERSON. AUTHOR. SINCE HER appearance on season three of American Idol in 2004, Jennifer Hudson has won astonishing awards with another 33 nominations including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Grammy Award.
Born on September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Hudson cites Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle as her overall biggest influences and inspiration. At the age of 7, she got her start in performing by singing with the church choir and doing community theater. In January 2002, Hudson signed her first recording contract with Righteous Records, a Chicago-based independent record label. She was released from her five-year contract with Righteous Records so that she could appear on the third season of American Idol in 2004.
When Hudson auditioned for Idol in Atlanta, she commented that she had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines, leading contestant judge Randy Jackson to say, “We’re expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you.” Hudson went on to receive the highest number of votes in the “Top 9” after her performance of Elton John’s “Circle of Life,” but two weeks later was eliminated during the “Top 7” show after performing Barry Manilow’s “Weekend in New England.” In May 2010, the Los Angeles Times claimed Hudson to be the third greatest Idol contestant in the history of the show, placing her behind season one winner Kelly Clarkson and season four winner Carrie Underwood.
See Jennifer Hudson at Pride in the Street on Saturday, June 10.
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In November 2005, Hudson was cast in the role of Effie White for the film adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Eddie Murphy. The film gave her worldwide acclaim and she became the first American Idol contestant to win an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to appear in such films as Sex and the City, The Secret Life of Bees, and Black Nativity. She has made numerous television appearances, including guest roles on Smash, Empire, and Inside Amy Schumer. In 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the role of Shug Avery in the revival of The Color Purple.
Expanding her talents in the arts, Hudson added author to her list of accomplishments with the release in January 2012 of her New York Times best-selling memoir, “I Got This: How I Changed My Ways, Found Myself and Lost Everything that Weighed Me Down.”
In 2009, following her family’s tragedy, Jennifer and her sister Julia founded The Julian D. King Gift Foundation, as a catalyst for change in children’s health, education and welfare. The Foundation exists to provide stability, support and positive experiences for children of all backgrounds so that they will become productive, confident and happy adults.
As a singer, Hudson has released three studio albums. Her debut album “Jennifer Hudson,” released in 2008, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA, with sales exceeding one million copies worldwide. The record was nominated for four Grammy Awards, winning the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Her second album “I Remember Me,” released in 2011, also debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the RIAA. Her third album “JHUD” peaked in the top ten and featured the Grammy-nominated track “It’s Your World.” She also was the principal singer on The Color Purple musical album, which earned her the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
Her latest single “Remember Me” was released on March 2017 as the lead single from her upcoming fourth album.
Hudson has made headlines with many high-profile performances, including President Obama’s “Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” event held at the White House, Super Bowl XLIII, the Grammy Awards, the Academy Awards, on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and singing the National Anthem at the Democratic National Convention. She appeared on the telethon “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” performing The Beatles’ “Let it Be.” She also recorded the song “One Shining Moment” for the 2010 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.
The day after the death of Whitney Houston, Hudson paid tribute to her by singing Houston’s iconic “I Will Always Love You” during the 54th Grammy Awards. In 2013, she performed “Same Love” with Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, and Mary Lambert and later that year, was awarded with the 2,512th star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2016, Hudson was announced as a coach on the 2017 series of The Voice UK, starring alongside judges will.i.am, Tom Jones, and Gavin Rossdale.
Hudson is engaged to professional wrestler and Harvard Law graduate David Otunga. They have one child, a boy named David Daniel Otunga, Jr.
