Twenty years ago, Jennifer Hudson hit rock bottom. Like in the final three of “American Idol” – where she was shocked to be eliminated in the third season of the singing competition with supposed co-stars Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London. After her powerful pipes had carried her through covers of Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Whitney Houston, Hudson was the vocalist of choice on the night that rocked America, finishing a surprising seventh in the 2004 season, eventually beaten by Barrino .
“It seems like everything happens [for a reason]and I wouldn’t change any of them,” says Alexa Hudson, 43. “Everybody has their own path and there can only be one winner at that time. And, you know, I think Fantasia deserved to have earned – and I deserve to do everything I’ve done too.”
Indeed, that controversial elimination would prove to be “a gift” for the Chicago native, who went on to score an Oscar-winning role in 2006’s Dreamgirls and Grammy gold for her self-titled debut album in 2008. After winning a Daytime Emmy for her virtual reality venture “Baba Yaga” in 2021, she would complete EGOT status as producer of “A Strange Loop” when it won Best Musical Tone in 2022.
Not bad for an “American Idol” too-candy.
She wasn’t kidding when she famously told us, “And I’m telling you I’m not going.” As she chats with fellow stars on season three of “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” she’s also returning to her roots as a singer with a new holiday album: “The Gift of Love.” While she hasn’t gone anywhere, it’s been 10 years since Hudson’s last LP (2014’s “JHud”).
“I feel like it wasn’t [a decade] because I sing in everything I do,” says Hudson. “Through movies, commercials, various things, I never stopped singing. So I didn’t notice that I hadn’t had an official Jennifer Hudson album… But time flies, especially when you’re busy – and I’ve been a busy girl.”
As tumultuous as her career has been, Gift of Love was a labor of love. “What better way to give back than a Christmas album?” she says. “It has been a dream of mine throughout my career. I’m a holiday freak… so it makes sense.”
Hudson began recording the album after her talk show was discontinued over the summer. “I remember riding my bike, listening to Christmas music on the beach,” she says. “And I said, ‘We should probably listen to holiday music more than we do on vacation, because it gives you this peace and relaxation.’
But her “singing summer” still had its challenges as she trudged through sand instead of snow.
“I love Christmas carols and … how do you narrow it down so you know what to record?” says the singer. “But holiday music, at least for me, is sentimental. So, like ‘A Christmas Carol,’ my grandmother loved this song, so it reminds me of my upbringing and the songs that my grandmother loved or that I would listen to around the house during the holidays.”
For Hudson, Christmas goes back to the church—where it all began for him—as reflected in “Go, Say on the Mountain.” “Growing up in the church, we had a candlelight march every Sunday before Christmas and did our Christmas programs,” she recalls. “My gospel roots had to be part of the album.”
But “Gift of Love” begins with “Hallelujah,” a stirring rendition of Leonard Cohen’s classic. “I thought if ‘Hallelujah’ wasn’t on it, there wasn’t an album,” Hudson says. “Some might not look at it as a holiday song, but … I just think it brings everyone together.”
Without a doubt, she’s been bringing the masses together — whether through music, movies or TV — since “American Idol.” She was ready to seize her moment when she got the chance to play Effie White in the film version of Dreamgirls. “I’m like, ‘I’m not going to let anything break my faith or stop me,'” she recalls, “because to have a second chance like that, I wasn’t going to miss that opportunity.”
After winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2007, the stakes suddenly rose for Hudson, who went on to appear in other films such as 2008’s Sex and the City, 2013’s Black Nativity and 2019’s “Cats.” But she was given the “ultimate honor” when she was cast as Aretha Franklin in the 2021 Queen of Soul biopic “Respect”.
“I’m like, ‘I’m not going to let anything break my faith or stop me,'” she recalls, “because to have a second chance like that, I wasn’t going to miss that opportunity.”
“It’s like, ‘Oh my god, Aretha Franklin … it’s my dream to play her!’ she says. “And then it’s like, ‘Oh my god, wait, I have to play Aretha Franklin!’ It’s a blessing and it’s exciting, but it’s also overwhelming. You know in whose footsteps you are walking, on whose shoulders you stand.”
After that royal role, Hudson went from the movies to the sofa, launching her own talk show in 2022.
“I come from a very talkative family with many personalities,” she says. “So if we’re not singing to you, we’re talking down to you. When the opportunity came to do the talk show… I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. You mean to tell me I’ll be able to sit on the couch and just talk? Baby, roll the camera!’”
One of Hudson’s guests was Grammy-winning rapper Common, who made their romance official when he showed up with flowers for the host on a January 2024 episode. The two bonded over their shared Chicago roots.
“I think that’s how we first connected,” she says, “because we were shooting ‘Breathe,’ and one day he was leaving the set and I walked on set, and security was like, ‘You and Common are so personable and so nice to everyone. What is that?’ This is what caught our attention. We have a similar energy about ourselves that connected us. We are similar people in many ways. And I attribute that to being from Chicago. It feels familiar. It feels like home.”
Hudson – who has a 15-year-old son, David, from her previous relationship with former professional wrestler David Otunga – talks about the special bond she’s found with Common. “It’s very beautiful – it really is,” she says. “It was hit differently. There’s nothing like it, that’s for sure.”
In fact, Common recently hinted that he might be ready to put a ring on it. “If I’m going to get married, it’s for her,” he said on The Breakfast Club radio show in July.
“He keeps saying that,” Hudson replies with a laugh. “That’s a very strong statement.”
Common is featured on “The Gift of Love,” rapping on the original track “Almost Christmas.” And his flow and finesse with words inspired a hip-hop version of “Jingle Bells.” “We were on the phone, just having a conversation, and it was around Christmas,” Hudson says. “And I was like ‘I was the night before Christmas and all over the house…’ and he turned it around and started styling. And it never left me.”
Hudson will take her Christmas show on the road with an intimate tour starting Nov. 24 at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn before hitting Chicago, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. “It will feel very festive, very family-oriented and very personal,” she says. “I can’t wait to come home to my musical family. That’s why I’m still here.”
Wherever she goes from here, Hudson won’t forget the “Day Ones” — those who have stuck with her since her first audition for “American Idol,” singing Franklin’s “Share Your Love With Me” at one point prophetic.
“I can’t believe it’s been 20 years. This blows my mind when I look back,” she reflects. “I’m grateful for it all – to be in the industry for so long and to have the support and love that I have. I don’t take it lightly. And that’s why this album is a gift of love to everyone who has been with me.”
Editor: Serena French; Stylist: Ashley Pruit at The Only Agency; Photo Editor: Jessica Hober; Talent Booker: Patty Adams Martinez; Hair: Albert Morrison at Mastermind Mgmt; Makeup: Shannon Pezzetta at A-Frame Agency using Dior Makeup; Manicure: Temeka Jackson at A-Frame Agency using The GelBottle; Stage Fashion Assistant: Devontaè Goodwin; Dresser: Rebecca Moreno at The Only Agency
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