'If I’m in it, I am in it': Jennifer Hudson is serious about daytime talk show

When she signed on to host her own daytime talk show less than a year ago, singer-actor Jennifer Hudson was stepping into uncharted territory for her — no mean feat for someone who, a few months later at age 40, became the youngest woman to complete an EGOT, winning a Tony after getting an Oscar, a Grammy and an Emmy.

So last month, when "The Jennifer Hudson Show" was renewed for a second season, it was her biggest validation that she was heading in the right direction.

"I had no reference to go off of. So it at least to me, there was no way to be able to say, 'OK you’re on the right track,'" Hudson said in Milwaukee Monday. "So getting a second season is great confirmation that, phew, OK, I guess I’m on the right track."

Hudson was in Milwaukee to promote "The Jennifer Hudson Show," which airs locally weekdays at 3 p.m. on WISN-TV (Channel 12). It was a rare trip to Milwaukee for the Chicago native, whose show tapes in Los Angeles.

Daytime talk show different from 'The Voice'

Hosting a daytime TV talk show is a lot. There are 170 new episodes in a season, and Hudson said they're coming up on taping No. 100 for the show's inaugural season.

"Each and every day, through each experience, I get a better grip," she said. "I’m learning how to just settle a little more.

"But again, I remind myself this is all so new to me, you know? So I’ll get there, take my time and find out all the things and, as I say, 'Jennifer-ize it' that much more."

Unlike her forays into singing and acting, being a talk-show host has been an adjustment. Hudson got some helpful training during her stints as one of the coaches on "The Voice" and "The Voice U.K.," but the talk-show format puts it all on her shoulders.

"Singing is like breathing — my dream was to be a singer, so I was born into that," Hudson said. "Acting is something that has grown to be more natural to me. Talking is very natural to me (laughs), but … to be in the atmosphere of the industry of the talk-show world, that was the most foreign thing to me.

"That’s why I always allowed my instincts to kick in and lead me."

Guests from Rita Moreno to Indy Bugg

Part of Hudson's strength doing daytime TV talk is she is just very human.

Her show has the traditional celebrity talk-show guests — this week's lineup includes actor-singer and Milwaukee native Jacob Latimore, fresh off the big-screen comedy remake "House Party" (airing Feb. 2), and fellow EGOT winner Rita Moreno, who stars with Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Lily Tomlin in the comedy "80 for Brady," opening in theaters Friday (airing Feb. 3).

But the show also has big-hearted segments featuring people such as Indy Bugg, a 10-year-old from Dayton, Ohio, whose viral dance and hair-braiding videos have already made her a return guest.

To Hudson, featuring slices of real life has become a key part of daytime talk.

"I think it’s responding to the times we’re in," she said. "We’re in a reality-based society right now, and it requires us to be the same. People want authenticity and what’s real. They don’t want something that feels detached."

Even though Hudson has a lot of plans for the show — "I have 23 more years of people I would love to bring on 'The Jennifer Hudson Show,'" she said, in a tone that was half-joking and half-determined — she framed it as part of an evolving career revolving around growth, and new worlds for her conquer.

"I’m learning the world of the talk show space as much as I can, learning about the structure of the week and the shooting process. And after I get that under my belt, I will re-implement where the music … and acting will fit," Hudson said. "It’s all a love of mine, and just because I said I was going to do a talk show does not mean I was going to stop singing or acting.

"I’d just love to continue growing. As I always say, you will always see me try."

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Jennifer Hudson is serious about her daytime talk show, and her career