Before ‘American Idol,’ Jennifer Hudson Had This Job with Disney
Back in 2004, Jennifer Hudson made her national television debut as a fan-favorite contestant on American Idol Season 3. Unfortunately, she didn’t win the season — but she didn’t need to. Hudson went on to become an EGOT-winning sensation in music, theater, and film/TV. Here’s what Hudson did with Disney before her big break.
Before ‘American Idol,’ Jennifer Hudson worked on a Disney cruise ship
Hudson auditioned for American Idol in 2004 at the age of 21. Not long before that, she worked as a performer on a Disney cruise ship. Hudson once shared the details of her pre-Idol gig in an interview with W magazine, revealing that she played “Calliope the muse in Hercules: The Muse-ical,” as well as “the ‘Circle of Life’ soloist.”
“So yes, that was the last time I was on stage doing theater. And in that show, I narrated the show, I did a lot of singing and we had a lot of choreography, as well. It’s part of how I got Dreamgirls because they took that as an acting credit,” she said.
Hudson went on to explain that her six-month contract with the Disney cruise ship inspired her to audition for American Idol.
“I actually gave myself that as a test to decide if I was going to go for American Idol. Like OK, I’m gonna go get on this ship,” she added. “If I cannot get through this ship, I do not need to go an audition for Idol. But if I get through it, then I can go. And I made it through it.”
Fans were upset about Jennifer Hudson’s ‘American Idol’ elimination
Jennifer Hudson made it to Hollywood after she auditioned for American Idol with Aretha Franklin’s “Share Your Love with Me.” The judges and many fans were impressed by her week after week. Despite this, Hudson received the fewest fan votes and was eliminated from the Top 7, shocking viewers everywhere.
To this day, Hudson’s elimination remains one of the biggest voting controversies. During a recent appearance on Hudson’s talk show, former Idol judge Paula Abdul revealed that fans still confront her about the voting results.
“Oh my goodness. I mean, that was a moment,” Abdul told Hudson, as seen in the video above. “When you were eliminated, it was like the whole world was pissed! … I mean, people still talk to me about, ‘God, that night that Jennifer Hudson was eliminated.’ I go, ‘I know.'”
Though it wasn’t the judges’ choice to eliminate Hudson that night, Abdul and her former panelists, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, have all expressed regrets about seeing her leave the show. Last year, Jackson admitted that American Idol “missed a bit” with Hudson.
Meanwhile, Cowell blamed the song choice for Hudson’s elimination. She sang Barry Manilow’s “Weekend in New England” in accordance with that week’s Barry Manilow theme.
“That night, I will never forget. I was thinking, ‘Who chose stupid Barry Manilow week?’ Wasn’t me!” he told Hudson on her talk show. “I remember thinking, ‘This is not a great song.’ Wasn’t your fault. And then, of course, what happened happened.”
Jennifer Hudson’s career since appearing on the singing competition
Despite her elimination, Jennifer Hudson found great success after American Idol. She made her film debut with Dreamgirls and continued her music career, eventually going on to earn Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards. Hudson also starred as Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic Respect, bringing her career full circle with her American Idol audition years ago.
Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for more updates on Jennifer Hudson and other American Idol alum. In the meantime, fans can check out the current season of American Idol on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
