Talk about perfect timing! Grammy and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson has thrown her hat (or shoe-as she displayed when she was a judge on The Voice) into the talk show arena-- and I don't think she could not have picked a better time. 

The multi-talented performer, AKA JHud, has been a fan favorite since she was a finalist on American Idol in 2004. She placed seventh, which shows that a standout singer does not have to be the winner to achieve monumental success in the entertainment field. I used to watch American Idol when it came out 20 years ago. It debuted on Fox and has aired on ABC for the past five years. The series was created in Britain by music producer Simon Fuller and based on his UK version of Pop Idol. 

JHud auditioned and landed the very competitive role of Effie White in the film Dreamgirls in 2006, based on the highly praised Broadway play. She was exceptional as Effie and was honored with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007. Her rendition of 'And I Am Telling You I'm not Going' is spectacular and pure artistry. Variety Magazine compared her vocal ability to Barbra Steisand's in Funny Girl. She received a shared Grammy for 'Respect' in 2021.

Since that breakthrough performance, Jennifer Hudson has had astounding success and received multiple accolades, including the BET Award for Best Actress in 2007 and a Daytime Emmy for Baba Yaga in 2020, not to mention two Grammys and five Grammy nominations. JHud also has a Star in Hollywood. She also became a spokesperson for Weight Watchers after a dramatic weight loss.

Hudson, now 40, began singing in the Church when she was just 7. Her style is reflective of the big Gospel voices of other singers like Aretha, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey, who JHud says influenced her. 

I think she will make a phenomenal talk show. When I see Jennifer Hudson interviewed, I am impressed with the honesty and empathy that shine through.

A horrendous event changed the trajectory of Hudson's life. In October of 2008,  Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donerson, and 29-year-old brother, Jason were shot to death in the Chicago home they shared with her older sister, Julia. Her young nephew Julian, 7, was murdered too. The perpetrator was Hudson's 27-year-old former brother-in-law William Balfour, who was separated from her sister. He is now serving three life sentences. Despite her unimaginable personal pain, Hudson does extensive charity work in her family's memory.

I am confident the show will be a megahit. The singer/actress is beautiful, outspoken, bright, and intelligent--great ingredients for a talk host. Hudson honors predecessors like Oprah and Wendy and proves that there is always a market for talent. If she does a segment similar to Kellyoke on the Kelly Clarkson, Hudson will win more Emmys. And there's a void to fill since Ellen left talk.