Jennifer Hudson to Join ‘The Voice’ as a Coach
Jennifer Hudson has signed on to be a coach for NBC’s The Voice. The former American Idol contestant will join Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Miley Cyrus, who will return for her second season as a coach, The Hollywood Reporter reports. Cyrus served as a coach last fall.
The singer-actress is well suited for the position as she will be able to relate and empathize with the season’s winning and losing contestants (Hudson came in seventh place during her American Idol Season 3 run) and sets a strong example with her successful career that followed, which includes winning an Oscar and two Grammys. She also served as a coach on The Voice UK earlier this year and her act, Mo Adeniran, became the season’s winner.
Her Voice coach duties may also pit her against the show that launched her career. The Voice‘s announcement follows the renewal of longtime TV singing competition rival American Idol, which ended its 15-year run on Fox and will premiere on ABC sometime during the 2017-2018 season.
Hudson’s acting and singing chops have also been featured on previous NBC shows, including her role in Hairspray Live! in December and her recurring guest spot on Smash.
Meanwhile, Cyrus returns to the show while undergoing a musical transformation of sorts. The singer recently discussed returning to her rock and country roots for her forthcoming album.
The Voice is in the midst of Season 12, which features original coaches Levine and Shelton, alongside Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys. The Top 8 artists will perform on May 15th.