Jennifer Hudson is an American singer and actress who is also popular for her nickname J. Hud and she has earned several accolades for her works in films, television, theatre, and music.
In this article, we will cover the net worth of Jennifer Hudson, her early and personal life, career highlights, and many more. Read the full article below if you want to know everything about the 40-year-old actress.
Jennifer Hudson’s Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the estimated net worth of Jennifer Hudson is around $30 million which she has earned majorly from her career in acting and music.
She rose to prominence after she appeared on “American Idol”. She became a member of the “EGOT” club as she has won an Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar, and Tony. Jennifer Hudson’s popular music helped her to build massive net worth over the years.
After taking a dig into her net worth, let’s have a look at Jennifer Hudson’s childhood.
Early Life
Jennifer Hudson was born on September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois to Darnell Donerson and Samuel Simpson. She attended Dunbar Vocational High School and completed graduation in 1999.
She then continued her further studies at Langston University but left the university because of homesickness and enrolled at Kennedy-King College.
She started her singing in a church choir at the age of 7 and Julia, her grandmother, supported her to get involved in community theater. In 2002, Jennifer landed her first recording contract with Righteous Records.
But in 2004, following her got an opportunity on the reality competition show “American Idol”, she was released from her contract with Righteous Records.
MTV named her the sixth greatest “American Idol” in 2009 with the most shocking departure of all time.
Personal Life
In 1999, Jennifer started dating James Payton and they broke up in late 2007. After that, she dated David Otunga, WWE’s professional wrestler. In September 2008, they got engaged and welcomed their first child together, a son David in 2009. In 2017, they broke up and ended their relationship of over 9 years.
Jennifer’s mother and brother, Darnell and Jason were found shot to death on October 24, 2008, in the Chicago home which they shared with her sister, Julia. Julian, who was Julia’s son, was also reported missing, and after three days, his body was found.
Later, Julia’s estranged husband named William Balfour was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of the home attack. In July 2012, he was sentenced to three life sentences without the probability of parole, on top of another 120 years for his other convictions.
After this tragic event, her family set up The Hudson-King Foundation for Familiars of Slain Victims, and also the Julian D. King Gift Foundation as a homage to her nephew.
Musical Career
In 2004, following her elimination from “American Idol”, Jennifer worked on some projects along with the song “The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be”. In 2006, she signed a record deal with Arista Records and also worked with producers Ryan Tedder and Timbaland for several singles for her debut album.
In June 2008, she launched her debut single “Spotlight” and in September 2008, she released her self-titled debut album “Jennifer Hudson” through Arista.
It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, and received positive reviews. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, it also won an award for Best R&B Album and received nominations for the other two awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
In March 2011, she released her second studio album “I Remember Me” which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200. In 2014, she released her third album “JHUD” and signed with Epic Records in June 2016. Jennifer Hudson’s successful musical career has helped her majorly in starting her career in the industry and earning such a huge net worth.
Acting and Television Career
Jennifer started her acting career in November 2005 with the film adaptation of the “Dreamgirls” musical where she played Effie White. She then appeared opposite Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, and Eddie Murphy. Her rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” also gained her fame.
She appeared as Effie White in the 2006 musical drama film, Dreamgirls and her performance brought her 29 different awards, along with the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
The Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Screen Actors Guild also named her Best Supporting Actress.
After “Dreamgirls,” she landed many projects in a supporting role, like 2008’s “Sex and the City” and “The Secret Life of Bees”. Shen then started appearing in the lead roles in the films like 2009’s “Fragments”, 2013’s “Winnie Mandela” and “Black Nativity” as well as 2019’s “Cats”.
All these projects helped Jennifer Hudson a lot to build her net worth. In 2015, she made her debut on Broadway in “The Color Purple” and apparently won a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2017 for her performance in the production. Apart from that, she also appeared as a coach on Season 6 and 8 of “The Voice UK,” whereas Season 13 and 15 of the American version of “The Voice.”
Though Jennifer Hudson started as a musician, she made a considerable net worth from her acting career as well.
Jennifer Hudson has earned a massive net worth of $30 million with her years of hard work. Stay tuned to our website to get all the latest news.