Jennifer Hudson Reveals Late Father Had 27 Children

Jennifer Hudson revealed a touching and unexpected family discovery about her father, who had 27 children.

Speaking on the “Your Mama’s Kitchen: Conversations from the Heart of the Home” podcast, the acclaimed singer and actor recounted a lifelong dream.

“It was my dream to have all of us at this grand Thanksgiving or Christmas table, and we all sit and eat together. That was my goal at 16,” Hudson shared.

During the podcast, host Michele Norris asked about siblings, prompting Hudson to reveal a surprising account of her family history.

“Your father had a big personality,” said Norris. “And you found that you had a lot more siblings?”

“Yes, a lot of us,” Jennifer Hudson replied. “Apparently, he had 27 children. That’s what we were always told.”

Of the 11 girls and 17 boys, Hudson has met six or seven in addition to the siblings she grew up with, Jason and Julia.

“We found quite a few of us,” Hudson said, adding, “And I’m the youngest of all of them.”

Hudson’s father, Samuel, passed away in 1999.

Initially, she only knew about his two other children with her late mother, Darnell Donerson.

However, tragedy struck the family when Donerson and Jason were murdered in their Chicago home by Julia’s estranged husband, William Balfour, in October 2008.