On Monday, November 6, Jennifer Hudson stopped by Late Night With Seth Meyers and discussed becoming an EGOT winner, dressing as Missy Elliott for Halloween, and overcoming her fear of public speaking to successfully host The Jennifer Hudson Show. It was a lovely exchange, but Hudson saved the relationship talk for Gayle King and the CBS Mornings crew. Hudson’s love life is a point of interest (again) this week, as a viral Backgrid paparazzi photo of Hudson and Common — an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar winner, for those keeping score at home — holding hands in New York City is making the rounds. So, are they dating?
Jennifer Hudson and rapper Common were spotted holding hands in New York City. https://t.co/zrIgvRiuBA
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 8, 2023
“Professional Jennifer is doing well,” King said toward the end of the five-plus-minute segment. “Personally, is Jennifer doing well? Word on the street is you’re very happy [and in] a very nice relationship.”
Hudson confirmed she is, indeed, “very happy” before King politely added the caveat that Hudson’s relationship is “with someone who shall remain nameless,” which earned a belly laugh from Hudson. That’s when co-host and former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson cut in more directly, saying, “So, you booed up?”
“Booed up?” Hudson responded. “Hmm, I think it’s more sophisticated than ‘booed up.'” Burleson pressed on with brave investigative journalism to further clarify whether Hudson is in a “situationship” or “entanglement,” to which Hudson said, “It’s definitely not an entanglement. That’s for sure!”
Dating rumors around Common and Hudson started bubbling in August 2022, shortly after news broke that they would be starring in the action-thriller Breathe. Hudson more or less shut the rumor mill down in September 2022. She told Entertainment Tonight, “People create their narratives of it, and it’s like, OK, you know, how you feel. We shot a film together, and he played my husband. We gotta eat in between those moments.”
To Hudson’s point, they were photographed together at Nobu in Malibu, California this February (as noted by People), and then, TMZ asked Hudson about it again this August. Hudson expertly side-stepped the question by saying, “Rumors say a lot of things, but he’s a beautiful man. I will give you that. That’s for certain.” Within the same report, TMZ relayed that unnamed sources told the outlet Common and Hudson had “been together for months.”
Neither Common nor Hudson have explicitly publicly confirmed that they are dating each other, but this week’s hand-holding and talk-show giddiness are the most convincing clues in our evidence pile.
Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. .
