Jennifer Hudson
Biography
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Hudson rose to fame in 2004 as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, placing seventh. She made her film debut as Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls (2006), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, becoming the youngest African-American to win in a competitive acting category. After signing to Arista Records, Hudson released her self-titled debut studio album in 2008, which was certified Gold in the US and the UK, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album. Hudson's subsequent studio albums, I Remember Me (2011) and JHUD (2014), both charted within the top ten of the Billboard 200, with the former also being certified Gold in the US. Meanwhile, her other acting roles include the films Sex and the City (2008), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Winnie Mandela (2011), Black Nativity (2013), Sing (2016), Cats (2019) and Respect (2021), the television shows Smash (2012), Empire (2015) and Confirmation (2016), and her Broadway debut with the musical The Color Purple. Hudson also contributed as a coach on the UK and the US version of The Voice from 2017 up to 2019, becoming the first female coach to win the former.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (41)
PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie
as (voice)
2026
Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk
as Ophelia the owl (voice)
2026
GOAT
as Louise Harris (voice)
2026
2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
as Self
2025
Grace for the World
as Self
2025
The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl
as Self
2025
Diane Warren: Relentless
as Self
2025
Christmas with Andrea Bocelli & Friends: A Grammy Holiday Special
2024
92nd Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center
as Self
2024
Josh Groban & Friends: Home for the Holidays
as Self
2024
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special
as Self
2024
Breathe
as Maya
2024
Christmas at Graceland
as Self
2023
Tell It Like a Woman
as Pepcy / Kim
2022
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
as Self
2021
Respect
as Aretha Franklin
2021
Monster
as Mrs. Harmon
2021
Roll Up Your Sleeves
as Self
2021
Baba Yaga
as Forest (voice)
2021
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
as Self
2020
In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover
as Jennifer Hudson
2020
Global Goal: Unite for Our Future | The Concert
as Self
2020
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
as Self
2020
One World: Together at Home
as Self
2020
Cats
as Grizabella
2019
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
as Herself
2019
HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé
as Self
2019
Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul
as Self
2019
Happy Hour with Olly Murs
as Self
2018
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
as Self
2018
A Very Pentatonix Christmas
as Self
2017
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
as Self
2017
Sandy Wexler
as Courtney Clarke
2017
Hairspray Live!
as Motormouth Maybelle
2016
Sing
as Young Nana (voice)
2016
Confirmation
as Angela Wright
2016
Chi-Raq
as Irene
2015
The Concert for Valor
as Self - Performer
2014
Lullaby
as Nurse Carrie
2014
And the Oscar Goes To...
as Self - Interviewee
2014
Black Nativity
as Naima
2013
TV Shows (9)
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
as Mane (voice)
2023
The Jennifer Hudson Show
as Self - Host
2022
Sherri
as Self - Guest
2022
Forensic Justice
as Self (archive footage)
2016
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self
2015
Celebrity Family Feud
as Self - Contestant
2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden
as Self
2015
Empire
as Michelle White
2015
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self
2014