Jennifer Hudson Explains Why She Turned Down Hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ After ‘Dreamgirls’

Jennifer Hudson might be an EGOT, a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist and an acclaimed talk-show host, but there’s one feat she hasn’t yet added to her resume: hosting Saturday Night Live. 

But as revealed on the Thursday (May 29) episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, that hasn’t been for lack of an invitation. While speaking to guests Eddie Murphy and Keke Palmer, Hudson revealed that she actually once turned down an offer to helm an episode of SNL sometime around 2006.  

“Oh, you just made me nervous,” the “Spotlight” singer began when Murphy asked whether she’d ever hosted. “They wanted me to host right after Dreamgirls. But y’all, if you didn’t know, public speaking was my biggest fear.”

“So I was completely intimidated,” she continued. “I was like, ‘No.’ I turned it down.”

With nearly two decades of more experience now under her belt, however, Hudson said she’s open to revisiting the idea — although it still makes her a little antsy. “Now, I may feel more prepared, but the thought of it stresses me out,” she added, visibly squirming in her seat.

Murphy and Palmer, on the other hand, are both SNL veterans. The former kicked off his comedy career as a cast member on the show and hosted an episode in 2019; the latter hosted in 2022 and revealed her pregnancy during her monologue.

The Nope actress also encouraged Hudson to give SNL a spin, saying she would “kill it” as both host and musical guest.

Hudson hasn’t released a proper album since 2014’s Billboard 200 top 10 LP JHUD, though she did drop a Christmas album — The Gift of Love — in October last year. In 2021, she starred as the Queen of Soul in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, recording covers of some of the legend’s most famous numbers for the film’s soundtrack.

Watch Hudson discuss all things SNL with Murphy and Palmer above.