NEED TO KNOW
- During a conversation with Keke Palmer and Eddie Murphy on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Jennifer Hudson revealed that she declined to host Saturday Night Live
- Hudson said she was offered the gig following the 2006 premiere of her debut film, Dreamgirls, but was too afraid of public speaking to do it
- When Palmer and Murphy told the multihyphenate she would be great on the show, Hudson said she would do it if another opportunity presented itself
Jennifer Hudson has come a long way!
During a recent episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, the actress, 43, discussed the milestone 50th season of Saturday Night Live with guests Keke Palmer, who has hosted, and Eddie Murphy, an alum of the series. While reflecting on their experiences on the beloved series, the 64-year-old comedian realized he had never seen Hudson take the iconic stage.
“Have you ever hosted?” he questioned.
“You know what, Eddie? It’s funny you asked that. They wanted me to host Saturday Night Live,” she revealed.
“You should be the host and musical guest!” Murphy quickly exclaimed as Palmer enthusiastically agreed, “Yes, yes!”
Thanking her guests and the cheering audience, Hudson offered an explanation.
“Hold on, Eddie, wait, wait, slow down!” she teased. “Oh, you just made me nervous.”
“They wanted me to host right after Dreamgirls,” the American Idol alum noted of her 2006 debut film, which also starred Murphy. “But y’all, if you didn’t know, public speaking was my biggest fear. So I was completely intimidated. I was like ‘No.’ I turned it down.”
In the nearly 20 years since, Hudson acknowledged that she has overcome her stage fright, highlighting the irony that she has taken on her own talk show.
“Now I may feel more prepared,” she admitted. “But the thought of it stresses me out.”
As Palmer insisted that Hudson “would kill it” on the sketch comedy show, she continued to warm up to the idea.
“You think so? Okay,” Hudson conceded. “With your encouragement, I maybe could do it.”
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Despite her hesitation about appearing on SNL, Hudson has found massive success throughout her career as a singer, actress, producer and talk show host. In June 2022, she became the 17th person to earn EGOT status after winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.
“It’s a huge honor and has been an ongoing celebration,” she told PEOPLE at the time. “I feel like it opens the space for me to be able to pick and choose more of what I want to do, but that’s been my whole career. I like to lead by my heart and what I’m passionate about.”
Still, she confessed none of her achievements have come without some worry.
“Everything I do makes me anxious, but you will always see me try,” Hudson said. “I love breaking new ground. All of it [causes] anxiety and fear — but that’s how we grow.”
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