Over the years, American Idol has helped some famous people get their start, even if they didn’t end up being the winner. Jennifer Hudson is a singer, actress, and EGOT winner. She is one of the most well-known examples of post-American Idol success and celebrates her thriving career every day. Even though she is an icon, fans are still upset that she didn’t win the singing competition.
It was the elimination that shocked America. Fans were outraged when Jennifer Hudson was voted off American Idol in season three. But no one felt the pain more than judge Paula Abdul, who was visibly emotional during the broadcast.
Fast forward to today, and Abdul finally revealed what happened after the show when she met with Hudson to offer her support. In a touching conversation, the two women bonded over their shared experiences and found comfort in each other’s words.
Paula Abdul was a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show, which some might see as a full circle moment for the two singers. When her controversial elimination in seventh place from Season 3 of American Idol was brought up, Abdul said that fans still talk to her about it almost twenty years later, “Oh my goodness, I mean, that was a moment. When you were eliminated, it was like the whole world was pissed. … I’m sure they come up to you; I mean, people still talk to me about, ‘God, that night Jennifer Hudson was eliminated.’ I go, ‘I know.”
Jennifer Hudson’s elimination was one of the most shocking and strange ones in the history of American Idol. Hudson was in the bottom three with LaToya London and Fantasia Barrino on the night they were sent home. People think that the fact that the judges praised all three contestants for their obvious talents caused fans to vote for different ones.
Abdul’s words resonated with Hudson, who became an Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning singer. But at the time, the future was uncertain. However, one person had to go home, Jennifer Hudson, much to fans’ disgust for decades. Fantasia Barrino won Season 3, but it was clear that the world hadn’t given up on Hudson.
Paula Abdul talked about the conversation she had with the future talk show host after she was kicked off the show and how she vaguely predicted that Hudson’s career would take off: I remember interviewing you after, when I was on Entertainment Tonight, and I said to you, ‘You know, I have a feeling some amazing things are gonna happen to you.’ ‘Remember, I said, ‘People that need to win, win. And the people that don’t need to win end up winning big time.’ And you did.
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Jennifer Hudson got the part of Effie White in the movie Dreamgirls two years after she kicked off American Idol early. The role won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and things took off from there. After winning two Grammys, being in several high-profile movies, TV shows, and live shows, and getting her talk show, her life turned out well.
The judges on American Idol and the live-show fans who vote for the winners don’t always get it right if there is a “right” answer. Even if the show’s producers feel bad about putting Jennifer Hudson in a position that put her at a disadvantage, it’s hard to believe that Hudson has many regrets about what happened next.
After all, she got a talk show just like Kelly Clarkson, the first winner of the series and is famous for it. The idea of winning American Idol has always been overhyped.
Watch the current season of American Idol on ABC on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. You should check out the link if you want to know how to watch American Idol: Season 21 Premiere on Hulu outside the US.
Since viewers got it wrong with Jennifer Hudson, now might be the best time to watch some of the audition episodes again to ensure the right contestants are voted for during the live shows.
