Jennifer Hudson net worth
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What is Jennifer Hudson’s net worth?
Jennifer Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. Jennifer Hudson has a net worth of $30 million. She rose to fame on the competition series “American Idol” and has enjoyed a successful music and acting career ever since. She has won multiple Grammys, Oscars, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Early life and career
Jennifer Kate Hudson was born on September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Illinois. The youngest of three children, she grew up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Hudson graduated from Dunbar Vocational High School in 1999 and continued her studies at Langston University. However, she left college due to homesickness and enrolled at King Kennedy College.
Hudson began singing in her church choir at age 7, and her grandmother Julia also helped her get involved in community theater. In 2002, she signed her first recording contract with Chicago-based independent label Righteous Records. However, she released her five-year contract with Righteous Records after getting a chance to appear on the reality show “American Idol” in 2004.
Hudson originally auditioned for the third season of “American Idol” in Atlanta. Before that, she had been singing and performing one of the muses in “Hercules” aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder. She performed well in the competition, even getting the highest number of votes in the “Top Nine” round, but was eliminated in the “Top Seven” round two weeks later. Despite not winning the contest, Hudson is widely regarded as one of the show’s greatest contestants. In 2009, she was named the sixth most shocking “American Idol” of all time by MTV. In 2010, the Los Angeles Times named Hudson the third-greatest “American Idol” in the show’s history, behind only season one winner Kelly Clarkson and season four winner Kelly Underwood.
music career
After quitting “American Idol” in 2004, Hudson worked on a number of projects, including a duet with Meatloaf, “The Future Isn’t Like It Was Before.” In November 2006, she signed a recording contract with Arista Records. She collaborated with producers Ryan Tedder and Timbaland on several songs for her debut album and released her debut single “Spotlight” in June 2008. Her self-titled debut album “Jennifer Hudson” was released in September 2008 via Arista, written and produced by Ne-Yo and Stargate. It was No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and was generally well received. The album also won the 2009 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and was nominated for two other awards in the categories of Best R&B Female Vocal Performance and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group Vocal Group.
Her second studio album, “I Remember Me,” was released in March 2011 and reached number two on the Billboard 200. She was followed by the album “JHUD” in 2014. In June 2016, Hudson signed with Epic Records.
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Acting and Television Careers
Hudson began her acting career in November 2005, playing the part of Effie White in the film adaptation of the musical “Dreamgirls.” She starred alongside big names such as Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy. She beat hundreds of professional singers and actresses, including Fantasia Barrino, and has been widely acclaimed for her performances. In particular, her rendition of the song “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” was hailed as an outstanding performance. As Effie White, Hudson has won 29 different awards, including a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress, a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also named Best Supporting Actress by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Screen Actors Guild.
Following Dreamgirls, Hudson had supporting roles in several films, including Sex and the City (2008) and The Secret Life of Bees (2008). Hudson then went on to star, including in the films “Shard” (2009), “Winnie Mandela” (2013), “Black Is Born” (2013) and “Cats” (2019). She also made her Broadway debut in 2015 on The Purple, which eventually won a 2017 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album for her work on the production. In addition, Hudson has also served on television as the coach for the sixth and eighth seasons of The Voice UK and the thirteenth and fifteenth seasons of the American version of The Voice.
spokeswoman
In 2010, Hudson became the face of Weight Watchers. She revealed on a February 2011 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that she lost a total of 80 pounds. She also published an autobiography in 2012 detailing her weight loss journey.
personal life
Hudson dated James Payton from 1999 to late 2007. She then began a relationship with WWE pro wrestler and Harvard Law School graduate David Otunga. Hudson and Otunga got engaged in September 2008, and she gave birth to their son David in August 2009. The couple split in November 2017.
On October 24, 2008, Hudson’s mother Darnell and brother Jason were found shot dead at the Chicago home they shared with Hudson’s sister Julia. Julia’s son Hudson’s nephew Julian was reported missing and his body was found three days later. Julia’s estranged husband, William Balfour, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. He was sentenced to three life sentences without parole in July 2012, in addition to 120 years for other charges. Following the tragedy, Hudson’s family created the King Hudson Foundation in honor of her nephew, as well as the Julian D. King Gift Foundation.
