Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson has a son, David Daniel Otunga Jr., with professional wrestler and actor David Otunga. Hudson and Otunga became engaged in 2008 and ended their relationship in 2017; they later reached a custody agreement in 2019.

In 2008, Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, her brother Jason Hudson, and her nephew Julian King were killed in Chicago. William Balfour, Hudson's estranged brother-in-law, was convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison.

Hudson began singing at age seven in her Chicago church choir and performed at wedding receptions, local talent shows, and musical-theater productions. Her first professional singing job was as Calliope, the head Greek muse, in a 2003 production of Hercules: The Musical aboard a Disney cruise ship. She later chose not to renew her contract so she could audition for American Idol.

Hudson reached the final rounds of the third season of American Idol in 2004 and finished in seventh place. After appearing on the show's season-three tour, she performed at charity events and toured throughout the Midwest.

In 2005, Hudson beat more than 780 competitors, including Fantasia Barrino, to win the role of Effie White in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls. Her performance, particularly her rendition of “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going,” won the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Award, and Sammy Davis Jr. Award for entertainer of the year.

Hudson released her self-titled debut album in 2008. It won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, and her song “Love You I Do” won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture. Her subsequent albums included I Remember Me in 2011 and JHUD in 2014.

Hudson made her Broadway debut in 2015 as Shug Avery in The Color Purple. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival, and Hudson received another Grammy Award for her contribution to the cast recording.

Her screen and television roles have included Louise in Sex and the City, Winnie Mandela in Winnie Mandela, Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray Live!, and Grizabella in Cats. She also appeared in Smash, Empire, Sing, Chi-Raq, and Respect, in which she played Aretha Franklin. Hudson served as a coach on The Voice UK and The Voice in the United States.

Hudson was an executive producer of the animated short film Baby Yaga, which received a Daytime Emmy for best interactive media for a daytime program. She later served as a coproducer of the Broadway musical A Strange Loop. When the musical won the Tony Award for Best New Musical, Hudson became the second Black woman to achieve an EGOT.

In 2022, Hudson began hosting The Jennifer Hudson Show. She also co-founded the Julian D. King Gift Foundation with her sister Julia Hudson in 2009. The foundation focuses on children's health, education, and welfare.