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Jennifer Hudson opened up to PEOPLE about how the success of her talk show’s Spirit Tunnel has made her celebrity guests more serious about nailing it
The EGOT winner joked about how stars are taking much longer in the tunnel, telling PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein at the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival: “Do you know how long I’m out there waiting now?”
Hudson also said she loves the success the tunnel has brought, and how it pushes the show’s message of positivity
Guests on The Jennifer Hudson Show are serious about their spirit — and nobody knows that quite better than Jennifer Hudson!
During a panel at the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center on Aug. 5, moderated by PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein, Hudson, 43, opened up about how the viral Spirit Tunnel has become something guests on the show really look forward to.
As fans may know, the internet sensation consists of Hudson’s staffers lining the hallway as the celebrity guests prepare for their appearance on the talk show. As the guests make their way to the stage, the crew sings a catchy chant to hype the star up.
Kristina Bumphrey/WBTV via Getty
Jennifer Hudson appears with PEOPLE’s Janine Rubenstein at the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival on August 5, 2025 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
The celebrities, in turn, have started to dance along in the tunnel, often creating viral moments, including Aaron Pierre delivering a now-iconic dance to the chant “Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa” and Blair Underwood dancing down the tunnel to a rendition of “In the Ayer” by Flo Rida with his name inserted in the tune.
Other stars who have appeared in the Spirit Tunnel include Usher, SZA, and even Elmo and Oscar from Sesame Street.
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“It has completely blown us away,” Hudson explained, noting that “people want redos.”
“I’m literally sitting in my chair, I have a monitor, and I can watch people as they’re walking down the Spirit Tunnel,” she recalled. “Do you know how long I’m out there waiting now? Because they’re like, ‘Okay, where’s the camera? Okay, cut, cut.’ It has really taken on a life of its own.”
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Jennifer Hudson attends the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival at the Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center on August 5, 2025 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Reflecting on the Spirit Tunnel’s beginnings, Hudson notes the inspiration came from a simple desire for joy and celebration.
“What I like to call myself is the Queen of Spirit. So that’s where the name ‘Spirit Tunnel’ comes from. But I’ve got to give credit to the producers,” she said. “I think they took all the elements of the things that I love. I love people, I love celebrating people, and my favorite way to do this is through music. So why not celebrate you?”
“I like that it breaks the ice as soon as you hit the door. That’s how it is at home,” she continued. “This is just the energy that the Happy Place brings and that we love to give and we want you to feel at home and a part of it.”
Noting that “this goes from the guests to the audience to the crew,” Hudson emphasized how they’re all “together” and the tunnel is “a celebration of that.”
“The memories that it creates, those are the things that I love to see people come together on one accord in positivity,” she shared. “It’s so much craziness in the world that we need something else. Just no matter where you’re at because I’ve seen the highest of the highest and lowest of low and everything in between. So I could meet you wherever you’re at… We going to go through it together.”
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Season 4 poster for The Jennifer Hudson Show, premiering on Sept. 15.
The EGOT winner also celebrated how the tunnel has not only brought positive attention to the show, but is also being used as a vehicle for good.
“I was like, yeah, we should share this with the world so they can understand the energy that’s around here, so they know what makes this show different from other shows,” she explained. “The best part is to see all the love and the joy being spread. That’s what it’s about.”
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The Jennifer Hudson Show returns for season 4 on Monday, Sept. 15. Check local listings.
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