After a quick shuffle on the local television dial last week, “The Jennifer Hudson Show” has officially settled into its new Detroit broadcast home, weekdays at 3 p.m. on WXYZ (Channel 7).
The station switch sent some viewers scrambling for remotes and DVR settings, creating a brief wave of daytime-TV confusion across southeast Michigan. But fans of Hudson's upbeat interviews, celebrity guests and famously energetic dance tunnel appear to have found the show's new address.
Local television station changes are hardly uncommon, but anything involving Jennifer Hudson comes with a little extra fanfare. Social media posts and viewer comments in recent days have ranged from "Where did Jennifer go?" to "Found her!" as audiences adjusted to the transition.
The good news for fans is that the search is over.
A week after the move, Hudson is still delivering the same feel-good daytime television experience. Detroit viewers just had to learn a new route to get there.
“Detroit is like my second home,” Hudson told the Free Press. “It feels very similar to Chicago. And there have been many connections throughout the years, throughout my career.”
Her love for Detroit naturally brought the conversation to her acclaimed performance as Detroit’s own Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic “Respect,” which celebrates its fifth anniversary. Franklin personally selected Hudson for the role before her passing in 2018.
“To be able to just be under her wing, to get to know her as a person,” Hudson recalled with emotion. “She’s a legend and an icon to this day, and a treasure to us all. It was beyond a dream to be able to connect with her on a human level, and then to be blessed to be able to portray an icon that is still so dear to all of us.”
While Hudson acknowledged that she does have more acting projects in her future, a daily talk show is “time-consuming.”
“That didn’t mean I was going to stop singing and acting and being a humanitarian – that’s still very much a part of it. But it’s finding that window to be able to know when to say, ‘Okay, I just toured this past summer. I was just here in Detroit performing with Josh Groban on tour. Now, I’m a host (again).’ It’s finding those pockets to be able to act, sing, perform – all those things.
“There are more films to come,” she added.
The Detroit stop with Groban was part of Hudson’s first arena tour since her launch with “American Idol.”
“I can’t imagine that many people coming out to see me,” she exclaimed. “But it’s so exciting. It’s what I love to do, and it doesn’t matter to me the size of the crowd. I love intimate crowds. I love to make – no matter how big the crowd is – make it feel very intimate because I love people to feel the energy. Like they’re the only person in the room, or we’re there together. It’s not just about me on the stage, but it’s an experience for us all.”
Despite her success as a talk show host, Hudson said she never imagined it in her future.
“God always gives you a little bit more than what you ask for,” she said with a laugh. “It’s just a part of my upbringing and who I am and who my family is. If we’re not singing you down, we’re talking you down, you know what I mean? Everything to us is about family, so that’s what I like to lead with. Whether I’m on the film set, at home, in the Happy Place, in concert – if you meet me on the street, you’re my family. I love for us to see each other, and I love talking and meeting humans.
“(Guests) don’t have to come and see me. Even the audience, that’s family. We spend time together; I look forward to seeing them, the crew and the staff. We are family. I spend the majority of my time with them. It’s like, this is a family affair, and to see everybody loving what they do, putting their heart and their passion into it, and then the guests that choose to come to the Happy Place to share their stories … We want them to be able to enjoy the experience.”
Hudson expressed total surprise and delight with the way the show’s viral Spirit Tunnel videos have taken off online.
“Ooh, child! Who could ever imagine that it would do what it did and is doing to this day,” she said. “One of the first realizations of how big it was was one of the times I went out, and I was at a hotel, and when I’m leaving, all of a sudden the employees are lining up to Spirit Tunnel me, and I’m like, ‘What?! I love this! This is amazing!’
“Our goal was to spread joy, and to me, what better way to spread joy than to celebrate someone through song? So, now, to see the whole world doing Spirit Tunnels, from churches to graduations to clubs everywhere – it’s like, wow! It blows my mind.”
She reiterated how excited she is to continue to expand on the show’s scope for season five.
“More joy,” she said. “Music fans, when they come to the show – they’re always like, ‘Are you singing today?’ I want to make sure music is present even more. Taking everything we’ve done up another notch, and continuing to bring people together, excelling, creating memories. There’s going to be more surprises. My favorite part is the memories we get to create.”
“The Jennifer Hudson Show” airs weekdays at 3 p.m. on Detroit’s WXYZ.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jennifer Hudson calls Detroit 'second home' amid talk show move to WXYZ
