The Jennifer Hudson Show

The Jennifer Hudson Show is an American syndicated daytime talk show. Hosted by singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, the NAACP Image Award winning series premiered on September 12, 2022.
In November 2021, Deadline reported that Warner Bros. Television was developing a syndicated talk show hosted by Jennifer Hudson for the 2022–23 television season. The series was being pitched as a spiritual replacement for The Ellen DeGeneres Show after its conclusion in 2022, with its executive producers Andy Lassner and Mary Connelly moving over to the new show. The series was officially announced in March 2022, with Fox Television Stations as one of its first major carriers. In June 2022, it was announced that The Jennifer Hudson Show would premiere on September 12, 2022, and that it had been cleared in 95% of the U.S. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season. On September 11, 2023, the series was reported to be planning to resume filming during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, though without writers. On September 17, one day prior to its second-season premiere, it was announced production had been paused, and the premiere postponed, due to the strike. The second season premiered on October 2, 2023, following the end of the strike. In January 2024, the show was renewed for a third season. In February 2025, the show was renewed for a fourth season.
The series carries over a number of elements and personnel from The Ellen DeGeneres Show, including its executive producers Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, and Corey Palent. It is similarly filmed at Stage 1 at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, with parts of the former Ellen set having been reused or modified.
The Jennifer Hudson Show premiered on September 12, 2022 (which was also Hudson's 41st birthday); notable guests during its first week of shows included: Simon Cowell, Mickey Guyton, Hannah Waddingham, and Viola Davis. The premiere received a Nielsen rating of 0.7/4.
On the debut episode, Hudson welcomed, and reunited with, its first guest of the show, former American Idol judge, Simon Cowell. On the second episode, Mickey Guyton makes an appearance and was the first artist to perform on the show, with her single: "Somethin' Bout You". NCT 127 is the first K-pop boyband to appear and perform on the show, with their single: 2 Baddies.
In a review of her first week of shows, Daniel D'Addario of Variety felt that the aim of The Jennifer Hudson Show was "vague" in comparison to its competitors (such as The Kelly Clarkson Show) and "[steered] clear not merely of politics or of Hudson's innermost personal life, which would be completely expected, but from any tension or interest as well". It was also felt that Hudson's interviewing style lacked momentum, arguing that "guests often end up steering the conversation more than they usually might, while Hudson praises them for being sharp or funny without following up with questions."
Coleman Spilde of The Daily Beast was more positive, describing the first week of shows as being "a pleasant surprise that was as amusing as it was gratifying", and praising Hudson for having a "calming effervescence" comparable to Kelly Ripa and Wendy Williams. He observed that Hudson's "constant and sometimes bewildering level of thanks to the people around her, the industry, and God is ever-present", and that "even when it was a little shaky getting its sea legs, Hudson held it together and kept the pace like the consummate professional she is."
The show has gone viral online for its “Spirit Tunnel” pre-show segment shared on social media, in which the show’s staff members hype up and welcome guests to the stage by lining the hallway and performing original chants based on guests’ names and/or work. The segment was inspired by host Hudson’s Spirit Tunnel welcome to the show on its first and second season. As of January 2025, the segments regularly garner 10 to 100 million views on TikTok. Notable guests whose Spirit Tunnels have gone viral include Gwen Stefani, Ethan Slater, Lee Jung-jae, and Aaron Pierre.