There was a moment in the first 10 minutes of the premiere episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show where I, skeptically watching from my bed, started clapping. And not just clapping, but some good old hooting and hollering as well. Sitting on her set’s large sectional couch, Jennifer grabs a fuzzy pink blanket from behind her, drapes it across her lap, and continues to talk. There I was, sitting under my duvet with a second blanket around my shoulders and wrapped around my entire comically large noggin, feeling more seen than I ever had in my entire life.
Jennifer Hudson prioritizes what is known in my house as “cozy time”—aka covering yourself in as many blankets as possible and turning the AC down to a cool 67 degrees. After meeting a kindred cozy-time spirit, I lowered my wall of doubt (the same one I have with any new talk show) and gave in to whatever Jennifer had in store for me.
But the blanket was only just the beginning. Over the course of five days, I was treated to a marvel of strange and exciting choices from our multi-hyphenate powerhouse host. What I expected to be the latest flop in a string of failed talk show attempts by everyone from RuPaul to Jerry O’Connell was actually a pleasant surprise that was as amusing as it was gratifying.
The Jennifer Hudson Show is a new daily dose of positivity, one that we need to fill the five-foot-seven, blonde hole in the industry left by Ellen DeGeneres when she sped off the studio backlot, taking the remains of her stagnant show with her.
The first week of The Jennifer Hudson Show was a whirlwind, feverish fantasy. Hudson said as much when she opened the premiere show by looking out into the audience, staring each person dead in the eye from the stage, and saying, “You’re in my dream.” It would be a terrifying statement if taken literally. But after an opening montage detailing Hudson’s journey to becoming one of the 17 people to have an EGOT—Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—it’s clear that this show was the natural next step.
But talk shows are delicate creatures. To some, it might seem like the easiest thing in the world: plop a celebrity on a stage in front of a live audience, book some guests, throw some thousands at unexpecting viewers—bada-bing! You’ve got a show. That is not the case. Getting audiences at home to spend one hour of their day with you is a challenge enough as it is. Convincing them to do that five times a week, when there are so many other options? That’s nearly impossible.
It’s a good thing, then, that Jennifer Hudson—or “JHud” as she invites us to call her—is up to the challenge. Not only does she emerge onto the stage each day full of vivacious joy, but she’s picked up some tricks from the greats as well.
Like Ellen, Jennifer spends a couple of minutes at the top of the show dancing with her audience and hugging them. Like Wendy Williams and Kelly Ripa, she’s adapted a natural conversational style that is integral to the show’s success: It makes us feel like we’re hanging out with a friend.
She brings the calming effervescence to her conversations with guests, too. That’s not to say that every guest spot was a runaway success. It was clear that half of the first week of shows were pre-recorded when Wednesday’s “guests” were a random bridal party and a beatboxing father and daughter, while Thursday featured Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham and Euphoria’s Colman Domingo.
Still, she never ran out of steam! Her patience is remarkable. By minute two of the bridal party interview, I was fast-forwarding to the next segment—past another nine advertisements for an encore showing of Monarch and 37 ads for 9/11 medical bill backpay stipends. But she, one assumes, endured the full segment.
For her very first guest, Jennifer welcomed Simon Cowell, whom she had not seen since her tenure on American Idol in 2004. On Idol, Cowell was endlessly committed to his mean-guy schtick and ruthlessly commented on Jennifer’s appearance and outfits. When he walked out on her stage, sun-damaged plastic face as bright red as a tomato, Jennifer owed him nothing more than to tell him he needs a green foundation stick and the number to a dermatologist. Instead, she thanked him for the opportunities his show gave her while he showered her with apologetic praise.
That’s one of the fabulous things about The Jennifer Hudson Show: It’s steeped in gratitude. Jennifer’s constant and sometimes bewildering level of thanks to the people around her, the industry, and God is ever-present. I was surprised that I not only didn’t find it annoying, but that it genuinely touched me—especially in segments where Jennifer chooses to spotlight young talent and champion the underdog. Compared to the visible lack of investment that DeGeneres had by the final years of her show, Hudson is a breath of fresh air.
Maybe that’s because, at heart, she’s very much a stereotypical mom. (And I say that with love.) I’m also attributing it to my favorite thing about the show so far, the most genius gimmick ever, and one that I cannot believe no daytime host has thought of yet: a different mug every day.
And not just any new mug. Oh, no. It’s a new mug with a different inspirational saying on it. “I started sipping coffee during the pandemic,” Jennifer said in the second episode. “And now one of my favorite things to do is collect coffee mugs. But each one has to have a saying, something that represents me.” I loved her discussing this concept as if collecting mugs is a novel hobby. She may be down to earth, but her head remains in the clouds.
Tuesday’s mug? An open mouth with the words “USE YOUR VOICE” between the lips. Wednesday? A green little number with the script-y font you know all too well that read “RADIATE POSITIVITY.” Thursday? Smiley face pattern. Friday? “GRATEFUL.” The audience claps, cheers, and nods thoughtfully as Jennifer explains each mug’s significance to the day. I am telling you, this bit is inspired. I will be checking in every day from now on just to see what Target clearance rack special JHud has in store for us today.
There is endless potential for The Jennifer Hudson Show. 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.
There are obvious bumps in the road, naturally. And I beg of the producers to please, please get a second set of show music besides the theme song. I can take Jennifer singing the words “Happy Place!” repeatedly in the theme at the top of the show, but the shotgun of the music cue nearly made me jump out of my skin every time it blared over a guest emerging. Why “Spotlight”—one of the greatest R&B songs of the millennium—isn’t the walk-on music, I will never understand.
But that’s all part of the journey, and as far as I see it, Jennifer Hudson is helming a show that has the potential to become a fixture in the daytime landscape. If I don’t see a line of Jennifer Hudson positive affirmation mugs exclusively at TJ Maxx by Q4 of 2023, I know nothing. I would kick down the doors to pay up to $50 for a set of three mugs that say, “YOU’RE GONNA LOVE ME”, “WATCH OUT, I’VE GOT CAT-ITUDE!”, and “FEELIN’ LIKE CRUD? TURN ON JHUD!”
You know what, inspirational JHud mug? I will.
