Jennifer Hudson
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.
Acted in
Untitled third PAW Patrol film
2026
as (voice)
Breathe
2024
as Maya
Diane Warren: Relentless
2024
Christmas at Graceland
2023
as Self
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
2023
as Mane (voice)
Tell It Like a Woman
2022
as Pepcy / Kim
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
2021
as Self
Respect
2021
as Aretha Franklin
Monster
2021
as Mrs. Harmon
Roll Up Your Sleeves
2021
as Self
Baba Yaga
2021
as Forest (voice)
Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
2020
as Self
In Search of the Sanderson Sisters: A Hocus Pocus Hulaween Takeover
2020
as Jennifer Hudson
Global Goal: Unite for Our Future | The Concert
2020
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
2020
as Self
One World: Together at Home
2020
as Self
Cats
2019
as Grizabella
Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons"
2019
as Herself
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
2019
as Self
Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul
2019
as Self
Happy Hour with Olly Murs
2018
as Self
Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones
2018
as Self
Always at The Carlyle
2018
as Self (archive footage)
A Very Pentatonix Christmas
2017
as Self
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives
2017
as Self
Sandy Wexler
2017
as Courtney Clarke
Hairspray Live!
2016
as Motormouth Maybelle
Sing
2016
as Young Nana (voice)
Confirmation
2016
as Angela Wright
Chi-Raq
2015
as Irene
Empire
2015
as Michelle White
The Concert for Valor
2014
as Self - Performer
Lullaby
2014
as Nurse Carrie
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
as Self - Interviewee
Black Nativity
2013
as Naima
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
2013
as Gloria
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
2013
as Maggie
Whitney Houston: We Will Always Love You
2012
as Self
The Voice
2012
as Jennifer Hudson
The Three Stooges
2012
as Sister Rosemary
The Voice UK
2012
as Self - Coach
Smash
2012
as Veronica Moore
Always Whitney Houston
2012
as Self
Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
2011
as Self
VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul
2011
as Self
Winnie Mandela
2011
as Winnie Mandela
The Voice
2011
as Self - Coach
We Are the World 25 For Haiti
2010
as Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas
2009
as Self
VH1 Divas 2009
2009
as Self
Winged Creatures
2009
as Kathy Archenault
Michael Jackson Memorial
2009
as Self
DJ Juice: The King is Back Mixtape Blend DVD Vol. 70
2009
as Self (archive footage)
The Secret Life of Bees
2008
as Rosaleen Daise
Sex and the City
2008
as Louise, Carrie's assistant
Sesame Street: Elmo's Christmas Countdown
2007
as Self
Dreamgirls
2006
as Effie White
Project Runway
2004
as Self - Guest Judge
American Idol
2002
as Self
American Idol
2002
as Self - Musical Guest
MTV Video Music Awards
1984
as Self
The Oscars
1953
as Self
The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl
as Self
Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk
as Ophelia the owl (voice)