Jennifer Hudson Coyly Confirms Relationship With Music Star

Heavy/Getty Singer, actress and talk show host Jennifer Hudson

It’s official! “American Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson and legendary rapper Common confirmed their relationship when he appeared on her talk show on January 22, 2024. He even delivered flowers and new shoes to his leading lady.

Rumors have swirled about the duo since July 2022, when they filmed the movie “Breathe,” co-starring as a married couple, per Entertainment Weekly. Hudson flatly denied a romance back then, but in recent weeks, she and Common have shown up together sitting courtside at NBA games at an Usher concert in Las Vegas, according to Us Weekly.

Though Hudson and Common, didn’t directly state on her show that they’re a couple, they had fun teasing the audience with all kinds of cute hints and gushing compliments for each other. But after filming their flirty exchange, Common revealed in another interview that he “felt good” about revealing their relationship.

Common Said He’s in a Relationship With ‘One of the Most Beautiful People’ He’s Ever Met

Hudson, 42, introduced Common, 51, to her show by performing a cute rap about him, and he walked onto the stage carrying a giant bouquet of flowers.

After comparing notes with Common about growing up on the south side of Chicago, Hudson coyly said, “I’m the host, and so I have to ask you this question ’cause everybody always wants to know this: are you dating anyone?”

Common sheepishly laughed as the crowd cheered and screamed, and then replied, “So, yes. And I’m in a relationship that is with one of the most beautiful people that I ever met in life. She’s smart, she loves God, she’s got something real down-to-earth about her, she’s talented.”

“But I set my standard kind of high,” he continued as Hudson beamed. “Because she’s gotta have an EGOT, she had to win an Oscar on her first movie. I set my standard high, she’s gotta get her own talk show.”

Those rare feats are all part of Hudson’s impressive resume. After placing seventh on the third season of “American Idol,” Hudson went on reach EGOT status in 2022, per CNN, which requires winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony Award — which only 19 artists have achieved in history, according to Entertainment Weekly. Meanwhile, “The Jennifer Hudson Show” debuted that same year and has just been renewed for a third season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Common, who appeared on Hudson’s show to promote his new book, “And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self,” is not far from achieving EGOT status himself. In 2017, according to the Recording Academy, he became the first rapper to have received three out of the four awards — a Grammy, Emmy and an Oscar — when he won an Emmy for contributing to the score of the documentary “13th.”

Continuing to describe his relationship to Hudson, he said, “This relationship is a happy place for me,” an obvious nod to “Happy Place,” the theme song of her talk show.

Jennifer Hudson & Common Have Found Love After Very Public Break-Ups

GettyJennifer Hudson sits with Common during the game between the LA Clippers and the Toronto Raptors in Los Angeles on January 10, 2024.

Hudson’s fans have warned Hudson against dating Common, worried about his reputation as a serial dater in Hollywood. But after his appearance on her show, many have commented on social media that they’re hopefully optimistic that Common will treat her well.

“I got happy chills for Jennifer she’s a great soul,” one fan wrote on the YouTube video of their talk show debut together. “Common you better don’t think about breaking her heart, America is watching you ”

After 10 years together, Hudson split from her ex-fiancé, David Otunga, in November 2017. The breakup became public when she obtained a protective order against him, according to E! News, accusing him of mental and physical abuse against her and their son, David Daniel Otunga Jr., who’s now 14.

Otunga denied the allegations but he and Hudson both signed a gag order in 2017, keeping them from divulging details about their split, according to E! News. Their divorce was finalized in 2019.

Meanwhile, Common has had multiple famous partners, including singer Erykah Badu, tennis star Serena Williams, and actresses Taraji P. Henson, according to People. Most recently, he and comedian Tiffany Haddish confirmed they were dating in 2020 but split up the following year. In July 2023, Haddish told the Washington Post that the breakup “wasn’t mutual” and that he broke up with her over the phone.

After his appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Common also appeared live on “Today with Hoda & Jenna,” during which host Hoda Kotb expressed surprise that he’d “cemented” their relationship in that way.

Common replied, “I felt like, man, why not just be loving and honest with who I am and who we are? And it felt good. It was fun. We had a good time. I’m a person that is very, like, private, I know (with) things that are sacred.  So any relationships that I have is not, like, for public consumption, but at the end of the day, we were on her show, we had a good time.”

Kotb asked whether Common is “the marrying type” and if this relationship could get him to the altar.

“I feel like I have grown and the work that I have done on myself has allowed me to see that I am a marrying type,” he responded. “I am the type that, I’m capable and I have the capacity, and if at some point in my life I may want to do that, I would know when the right time is.”