Getty Jennifer Hudson in 2022
In advance of her brand new talk show, “American Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson moved into a legendary studio that’s been revamped for her show and fans recognized her location right away.
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” will debut on Fox stations nationwide beginning September 12, filmed in Ellen Degeneres’ old studio on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles.
Fans Recognize Hudson’s Location in New Photos
On August 25, 2022, Hudson posted a series of photos on Instagram from her talk show home, including one of her smiling outside the “artist entrance,” with her show’s name on the awning. She also included shots of a binder with her image and the show’s logo on a desk, a team meeting with at least a dozen staffers in a room, and her show’s logo in silver letting behind a reception desk.
The singer also posted photos of two parking spots. In one, she’s dressed in all-white on a white cement parking block that has “JHUD” painted in black. In the other, a bicycle is parked by the entrance in a spot marked “J. Hudson.”
From those photos, eagle-eyed fans quickly picked up on the familiar spot, with many asking in her comment section whether she was filming in Ellen Degeneres’ old studio.
According to Variety, “The Jennifer Hudson Show” is produced by Warner Bros., the same production company that was behind “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” which ended in May after 19 years. Not only will the show be filmed in the same studio, but many of Degeneres’ former producers are now producing Hudson’s show, including former executive producers Mary Connelly, Andy Lassner, and Corey Palent.
In a cool twist of fate, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television president Mike Darnell first met Hudson when she was a contestant on “American Idol” back in 2004. Back then, he was the head of reality programming at Fox and oversaw “Idol.”
Hudson came in seventh place on season 3 of the show, but has become one of the show’s most famous alumni, recently reaching “EGOT” status with the rare honor of having won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony in her career.
Tickets Are Now Available to See Hudson’s Show Live
GettyJennifer Hudson promoting upcoming talk show in May 2022
Variety reported in November 2021 that Warner Bros. did a “deep dive to identify a marquee star to fill the ‘Ellen’ void,” looking at around 30 contenders and Hudson was the clear choice. Not only does she have a hugely successful singing and acting career, but she’s also shown her ability to be personable and entertaining on unscripted TV, having previously served as a coach on the U.S. and U.K. versions of “The Voice.”
Although the show won’t debut on-air until September 12, filming begins on August 30. Tickets are sold out through September 22, but there are currently still openings for the following two weeks. Warner Bros. hasn’t announced her first talk show guests yet, nor whether the performer will regularly sing on her show like fellow “Idol” alum Kelly Clarkson does on hers.
Speaking of Clarkson, although Hudson is taking over the “Ellen” studio, Clarkson is taking over the comedian’s coveted air time, primarily across NBC stations.
Meanwhile, Broadcasting & Cable says Sherri Sheppard, formerly of “The View,” will make her solo show debut, filling the time slot previously held by Wendy Williams, and Karamo Brown of Netflix’s “Queer Eye” is due to launch his own show on The CW, filling the spot left by Maury Povich’s retirement.