Jennifer Hudson’s daytime talk show set for Fall 2022 debut
Credit: Mike Rozman/Warner Bros.
By Kita James // Television // EEW Magazine Online
First Sherri Shepherd. Now Jennifer Hudson. We are loving this news of another Black woman of faith landing her own daytime TV show.
The 40-year-old Oscar and Grammy winner will host a syndicated talk show set to debut this fall. The Jennifer Hudson Show, which comes from Warner Bros., will be carried by Fox-owned stations.
Hearst and other station groups are also firmly on board, giving the show clearance in more than 60 percent of the country so far, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Credit: AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
“I have experienced so much in my life; I’ve seen the highest of the highs, the lowest of the lows, and just about everything in between but as my mother always told me, ‘Once you think you’ve seen it all, just keep on living,’” said Hudson in a statement obtained by EEW Magazine Online.
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“People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning — twenty years ago — and I’m so ready to join their journey as we sit down and talk about the things that inspire and move us all. I have always loved people and I cannot wait to connect on a deeper level and let audiences see the different sides of who I am, the human being, in return. And I couldn’t be more thrilled to do it alongside this incredible team. We’re about to have a lot of fun and shake things up a little bit!”
Reports of Hudson’s show premiere come shortly after the announcement that Sherri, a Wendy Williams Show replacement from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, will also be carried on Fox stations.
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It appears to be the perfect time for Hudson’s show as the flagship talker from Warner Bros., The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is ending after 19 seasons.
The fact that Hudson’s show will being carried by Fox makes it feel somewhat like a full circle moment for Hudson, since Fox is where she first blew up on American Idol’s third season — and the network’s former unscripted head, Mike Darnell, is now president of Warner Bros. Unscripted Television.
“I knew that Jennifer was a force to be reckoned with from the moment I met her nearly 20 years ago,” said Darnell. “From her Grammy-winning career in music, to her Oscar-winning acting career, Jennifer’s amazing talent, big heart and authenticity shine through in everything she does. I am thrilled to be working with her in this new role. She’s a natural, and I know audiences will embrace her in their homes every day.”
Hudson is the second former American Idol performer to land a daytime show. Season one winner Kelly Clarkson is currently in her third season hosting her eponymous show from NBCUniversal.
Daytime talk is notoriously tough to crack, as most of them have been known to fold after their initial two-year station deals.
“As the syndication business continues to go through a major sea change, we need power players to reenergize talk shows, and Jennifer Hudson is just that,” said Frank Cicha, executive vice president of programming at Fox Television Stations.
The Jennifer Hudson Show will tape in Los Angeles, but a creative team has not been named yet.
