‘American Idol’ star reveals she turned down hosting ‘SNL’ for one relatable reason: ‘I was completely...’
'American Idol' alum Jennifer Hudson turned down the golden opportunity to host 'Saturday Night Live' for a surprising reason! In a May 2025 episode of 'The Jennifer Hudson Show', the Oscar-winning actress sat down for a conversation with Eddie Murphy and Keke Palmer, and during the episode, the duo shed light on their experiences on NBC's Emmy-winning late-night comedy show. According to Entertainment Weekly, at one point, Murphy asked Hudson, "Have you ever hosted?" to which she responded by saying, "You know what, Eddie? It's funny you asked that. They wanted me to host Saturday Night Live."
To this, Murphy quipped, "You should be the host and musical guest!" Meanwhile, Palmer echoed the same sentiments and enthused, “Yes, yes!” However, Hudson then revealed the reason why she declined the chance to host 'SNL.' While speaking about her 2006 debut film 'Dreamgirls', which also featured Murphy, Hudson went on to say, "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. I was like ‘No.’ I turned it down.”
In the last two decades, Hudson has overcome many of her fears, including her stage fright, but she still hasn't hosted 'SNL.' Later in the episode, Hudson confessed, “Now I may feel more prepared. But the thought of it stresses me out.” Regardless of that, Palmer encouraged Hudson to take on a potential 'SNL' gig in the future. Palmer told Hudson, "You would kill it!" to which the latter replied, "You think so? Okay. With your encouragement, I maybe could do it."
Despite her hesitation about appearing on 'SNL', Hudson has enjoyed a highly successful career as an actress, singer, producer, and talk show host. In June 2022, Hudson became the 17th person to achieve the EGOT status after bagging an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award in her kitty. While having a conversation with People magazine, Hudson talked about her EGOT win and said, "It's a huge honor and has been an ongoing celebration. I feel like it opens the space for me to be able to pick and choose more of what I want to do, but that's been my whole career. I like to lead by my heart and what I'm passionate about."
When Hudson was questioned how she felt after becoming an EGOT winner, she said, "I'm still figuring that out. It's something, obviously, that I aspired to, but it takes a long time to process. It puts me in a better position to be able to lend more support. But I feel the same way [about] being a talk show host, to create a platform for everyone, just so we all have a place to feel included, and using my position and impact to be able to just continue to bring everyone together."
During the same interview, Hudson also disclosed the things that she's yet to tick off her bucket list. "I definitely want to direct at some point. That's enough, because when I say something, it happens. And I wouldn't mind touring again. Obviously another album. And then I want to play the piano more. By the time I get out of this chair, I'll have something else," Hudson told the media outlet at that time.
