Paula Abdul Explains Why Being Voted Off 'American Idol' Was Good For Jennifer Hudson
It was an “American Idol” reunion on Friday when Paula Abdul dropped by “The Jennifer Hudson Show” for an interview.
Hudson first met Abdul in 2004, when the actor and singer was a contestant on the third season of “American Idol.” Abdul was part of the show’s original trio of judges, which also included music executive Simon Cowell and record producer Randy Jackson. Though Hudson received accolades from fans and even fellow contestants, she placed seventh in the competition series.
In her talk show appearance, Abdul acknowledged that “the whole world was pissed” when Hudson was eliminated from “American Idol.” But she now believes it was a good thing that the future star didn’t emerge from the show a winner.
“People still talk to me about ‘God, that night that Jennifer Hudson was eliminated,’” Abdul said, before recalling a conversation she’d had with Hudson after she was voted off. “I said to you: ‘You know, I have the feeling that some amazing things are going to happen to you. People that need to win win, and the people that don’t need to win end up winning big time.’ And you did.”
Watch Abdul’s appearance on “The Jennifer Hudson Show” below.
It’s hard to argue with Abdul’s assessment. In 2006, Hudson starred as Effie White in the movie musical “Dreamgirls,” for which she won an Academy Award. And last year, she joined the esteemed ranks of EGOT winners when Broadway’s “A Strange Loop,” which she co-produced, received the Tony Award for Best New Musical.
Along the way, Hudson recorded three studio albums and racked up an impressive array of stage and screen credits, which include her debut appearance on Broadway in “The Color Purple” and portraying Aretha Franklin in the 2021 biopic “Respect.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Abdul recalled how a psychic predicted her “American Idol” stint about three years before the series premiered and became a phenomenon. Previously, Abdul had enjoyed global success as a pop star, racking up ’80s and ’90s hits like “Straight Up” and “Opposites Attract.”
Even though her Grammy-winning music career had cooled, she was skeptical about the prospect of a television stint when she talked to the psychic.
“My only reference had been ‘Star Search’ from decades ago, and I’m like: ‘I’m not doing that,’” Abdul explained. “She goes: ‘Honey, you willed it to happen. It’s happening, you’re doing it.’”
She went on to note, “She said it was going to the biggest show, break records on television, and I paid no attention to it. I really didn’t. And it was almost three years to the date when I was into Fox.”
