Jennifer Hudson is heading back to the show that launched her career.
The EGOT winner and American Idol season three finalist will return to the ABC competition series as a guest judge and mentor on Disney Night, airing on 20 April, her first appearance on the show in more than ten years.
Hudson, who finished seventh on the show’s third season back in 2004, will join permanent judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood to guide the Top 9 finalists as they perform iconic Disney songs live for America’s vote.
Her last time on the Idol stage was in 2015, when she performed Trouble alongside Iggy Azalea during season 14.
The Disney Night mentoring role adds a new dimension to her Idol return, as she has not previously guided the show’s contestants in that capacity.
The Top 9 will be competing for a place in the Top 7, making the stakes particularly high for the week.
Hudson’s trajectory since her Idol days has been remarkable by any measure.
She is now one of just 22 people in history to have achieved EGOT status, winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.
Her daytime talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, has just been renewed for a fifth season and has received 13 Daytime Emmy nominations.
Last October she released her first Grammy-nominated holiday album, The Gift of Love, and this summer she will join Josh Groban on tour. Her voice also recently featured in the animated film Goat.
Perhaps most s,ignificantly Hudson is joining the producing team for the Fall 2026 Broadway revival of Dreamgirls, twenty years after she won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Effie White in the 2006 film adaptation.
Disney Night on American Idol airs live on Monday, 20 April from 8 to 10pm ET on ABC and Disney+.
