Jennifer Hudson loved her American Idol return

Jennifer Hudson loved her American Idol return Jennifer Hudson cherished her experience of returning to American Idol. 21 April 2026 Jennifer Hudson relished her return to American Idol. Jennifer Hudson recently returned to the TV show The 44-year-old actress was a finalist on the third season of the series in 2004, and Jennifer recently enjoyed a full-circle moment when she returned to the TV show as a guest judge. Jennifer - who made her film debut in Dreamgirls in 2006 - told E! News: "To be on the other side of everything is insane, but it puts how much time has passed into perspective.