Jennifer Hudson To Welcome Judge Simon Cowell As First Guest On Her Talk Show Nearly 20 Years After Appearing On ‘American Idol’

Jennifer Hudson To Welcome Judge Simon Cowell As First Guest On Her Talk Show Nearly 20 Years After Appearing On ‘American Idol’

Life appears to be coming at Jennifer Hudson full circle.

It’s been nearly 20 years since the Grammy-award-winning singer rose to stardom as a finalist on the third season of American Idol, and she’s about to reunite with one of the show’s former long-time hosts. Simon Cowell will be the first guest on the unscripted Jennifer Hudson Show, which premieres on Monday, September 12.

The reunion — which is sure to be a good time since it coincides with Jennifer Hudson’s 41st birthday — will mark the first time the two have sat down with each other since she finished seventh in season 3 of the singing competition series in 2004. The “Spotlight” singer shared her excitement about the huge moment in a retweet on Twitter. Jennifer Hudson said,

“You know we had to do it BIG for our first show … See you September 12th!”

As if the moment couldn’t be any more special, Hudson previously said Simon Cowell would be her “dream guest” for her show, considering he helped her get her start all those years ago.

She said,

“I think it would be so interesting. Idol was 18 years ago so why not? I think people will be interested who’ve followed my journey for 20 years. See us sit down and see us have a conversation. I think that would be awesome to do.”

“And then it’s like, uh-huh! Now Simon, you’re sitting on my couch! So he’s on my wish list, among many others.”

As previously reported, the unscripted Jennifer Hudson Show is produced by Warners Bros. and will debut on Fox Television Stations throughout the country. Hudson previously shared her excitement about the daytime talk show, saying she can’t wait to show the audience the different sides of who she is.

Hudson said,

“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.’”

I can’t believe I get to say this, but welcome to my show !!! ? Let’s light up daytime beginning September 12th ! Wait a minute that’s my birthday !!! pic.twitter.com/YzIrUgmCp4

— Jennifer Hudson (@IAMJHUD) June 16, 2022

She added,

“People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning — 20 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!”

Simon Cowell was an integral part of the American Idol judge panel, which is where he built his reputation for being brutally honest with its contestants. He appeared in the series for eight years, from 2002 until 2010. He introduced the American version of his show The X Factor (it originally premiered in the United Kingdom) in 2011, which was canceled in 2021 after 17 years on the air. He’s currently a judge on America’s Got Talent.

Are you looking forward to Jennifer Hudson’s new talk show? Let us know in the comments!

[VIA]