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.

Filmography

• 2027Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk — Ophelia the Owl (voice)
• 2026GOAT — Louise Harris (voice)
• 2026PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie — Lilian Ledes (voice)
• 2024Breathe — Maya
• 2024Christmas with Andrea Bocelli & Friends: A Grammy Holiday Special
• Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur — Mane (voice)
• 2023The Color Purple — Songs
• 2022Tell It Like a Woman — Pepcy / Kim
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self - Host, Executive Producer, Creator
• 2021Baba Yaga — Forest (voice), Executive Producer
• 2021Monster — Mrs. Harmon
• 2021Respect — Aretha Franklin, Executive Producer, Songs
• 2020In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover — Jennifer Hudson
• 2019Cats — Grizabella
• 2017Sandy Wexler — Courtney Clarke
• 2016Confirmation — Angela Wright
• 2016Hairspray Live! — Motormouth Maybelle, Songs
• 2016Sing — Young Nana (voice)
• 2015Chi-Raq — Irene
• Empire — Michelle White
• 2014Lullaby — Nurse Carrie
• 2013Black Nativity — Naima
• 2013Call Me Crazy: A Five Film — Maggie
• 2013The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete — Gloria
• Smash — Veronica Moore
• 2012The Three Stooges — Sister Rosemary
• The Voice — Jennifer Hudson
• 2011Winnie Mandela — Winnie Mandela
• 2009Winged Creatures — Kathy Archenault
• 2008Sex and the City — Louise
• 2008The Secret Life of Bees — Rosaleen Daise
• 2006Dreamgirls — Effie White
• 2006The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas — Jewel
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Appearances as themselves (65)

• 2026AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy — Self
• 20252025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony — Self
• 2025Diane Warren: Relentless — Self
• 2025Grace for the World — Self
• 2025The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl — Self
• 202492nd Annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center — Self
• 2024American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special — Self
• 2024Josh Groban & Friends: Home for the Holidays — Self
• 2023Christmas at Graceland — Self
• Sherri — Self - Guest
• 20212021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony — Self
• 2021Roll Up Your Sleeves — Self
• 2020Global Goal: Unite for Our Future | The Concert — Self
• 2020Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special — Self
• 2020One World: Together at Home — Self
• 2020The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II — Self
• 2019Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul — Self
• 2019HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé — Self
• 2019Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" — Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show — Self
• American Idol — Self - Guest Judge
• 2018Happy Hour with Olly Murs — Self
• 2018Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones — Self
• 2017A Very Pentatonix Christmas — Self
• 2017Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives — Self
• Forensic Justice — Self (archive footage)
• Celebrity Family Feud — Self - Contestant
• The Late Late Show with James Corden — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self, Self - Guest
• 2014And the Oscar Goes To... — Self - Interviewee
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self, Self - Guest
• 2014The Concert for Valor — Self - Performer
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self - Guest
• 2012Always Whitney Houston — Self
• Steve Harvey — Self - Musical Guest
• The Voice UK — Self - Coach
• 2012Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You — Self
• 2011Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade — Self
• The Jonathan Ross Show — Self
• The Voice — Self - Coach, Self - Mentor
• 2011VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul — Self
• 2009DJ Juice: The King is Back Mixtape Blend DVD Vol. 70 — Self (archive footage)
• 2009Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas — Self
• 2009Michael Jackson Memorial — Self
• 2009VH1 Divas 2009 — Self
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — Self - Guest
• 2008Live from the Red Carpet: Sex and the City — Self
• 2007Elmo's Christmas Countdown — Self
• The Graham Norton Show — Self
• Project Runway — Self - Guest Judge
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Self
• American Idol — Self, Self - Musical Guest, Self - Contestant, Self - Performer
• Live from E! — Self
• The Early Show — Self
• The View — Self, Self - Guest
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark — Self - Guest
• MTV Video Music Awards — Self
• Entertainment Tonight — Self
• The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self - Musical Guest
• The Grammys — Self
• The Oscars — Self
• Today — Self
• Golden Globe Awards — Self - Presenter
• The Making of 'Sex and the City' — Self