It was an “American Idol” reunion Friday when Paula Abdul left “The Jennifer Hudson Show” for an interview.
Hudson first met Abdul in 2004 when the actor and singer was a contestant on the third season of “American Idol.” Abdul was part of the show’s original trio of judges, which also included music executive Simon Cowell and record producer Randy Jackson. Although Hudson received praise from fans and even fellow contestants, she placed seventh in the competition series.
In her appearance on the talk show, Abdul acknowledged that “the whole world freaked out” when Hudson was kicked off “American Idol.” But now she thinks it’s a good thing the future star didn’t emerge victorious from the show.
“People still talk to me about, ‘Oh my God, that night Jennifer Hudson disappeared,'” Abdul said, before recalling a conversation he had with Hudson after her miscarriage. “I told you, ‘You know, I have a feeling some amazing things are going to happen to you. People who have to win win, and people who don’t have to win end up winning big time.’ And you did.”
Watch Abdul’s appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” below.
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It’s hard to disagree with Abdul’s assessment. In 2006, Hudson starred as Effie White in the musical film Dreamgirls, for which she won an Academy Award. And last year, he joined the distinguished ranks of EGOT winners when Broadway’s “A Strange Loop,” which he co-produced, received the Tony Award for Best New Musical.
Along the way, Hudson has recorded three studio albums and amassed an impressive array of stage and screen credits, including her Broadway debut in “The Color Purple” and portraying Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic “Respect.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Abdul recalled how a psychic predicted her stint on “American Idol” about three years before the show premiered and became a phenomenon. Abdul previously enjoyed worldwide success as a pop star, scoring 80s and 90s hits such as “Straight Up” and “Opposites Attract.”
Even though her Grammy-winning music career had cooled, she was skeptical about the prospect of a TV stint when she spoke to the medium.
“My only reference was ‘Star Search’ decades ago, and I’m like, ‘I’m not doing that,'” Abdul explained. He goes, “Honey, you wanted it to happen. It happens, you do.”
He went on to note, “He said he was going on the biggest show, he broke records on TV and I didn’t pay attention to it. I really didn’t. And it had been almost three years to the date that I was at Fox.”