After months of rumors, Common and Jennifer Hudson are finally ready to publicly confirm their relationship.
On Jan. 22, Common will be a guest on “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” and he is expected to open up about his love life.
In a clip from the episode shared on the show’s official Instagram account Jan. 21, Hudson cheekily presses Common to discuss romance.
“Let’s get down to business, Mr. Common,” Hudson playfully says. “I’m a host, and so I have to ask you this question, because everybody always wants to know this. Are you dating anyone?”
The audience squeals and cheers as the 51-year-old rapper nervously giggles.
He replies, “So, yes. And I’m in a relationship that is (with) one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, in life.”
The crowd applauds while he continues to list specific qualities that confirm he is complimenting the singer and Academy Award-winning actor.
“She’s smart. She loves God. She has something real down-to-earth about her. She’s talented. But I set my standard kind of high because she had to have an EGOT,” he adds. “She had to win an Oscar on her first movie. I set my standard high. She had to get her own talk show.”
After hearing him praise her, Hudson, 42, said, “Oh, OK,” and adorably giggled before the video ended.
Common addressed his response to Hudson’s question during an appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on Jan. 22.
“We had a little fun and it’s great to be on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show,’” he said. “I felt like, man, why not just be loving and honest with who I am and who we are? And it felt good.”
He added that he’s typically a private person who holds certain things in his life “sacred.”
“So any relationships that I have are not for public consumption, but at the end of the day we were on a show. We had a good time,” he continued.
When Hoda Kotb asked Common if he’s the “marrying type” and if his current relationship could be the “one,” he laughed before giving his answer.
“I feel like I have grown and the work that I have done on myself has allowed me to see that I am a marrying type. I am the type that, I’m capable and have the capacity, and if at some point in my life I may want to do that, I would know when the right time is.”
“For me, everything is divine,” he added. “I work from that discernment that God speaks — when He speaks into your stomach and you feel it in your heart and your spirit, so when I would feel that, I will communicate with that person and if she’s feeling that, then why not?”
The full “Jennifer Hudson Show” interview will air Jan. 22, and it seems he and Hudson may speak further about their relationship.
“This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for! Tune in tomorrow to hear @iamjhud’s response!” “The Jennifer Hudson Show” Instagram account captioned its post.
Fans celebrated Common and Hudson’s romance in the comments.
“She was trying so hard not to blush,” one person wrote. “This is so adorable! I’m happy for them.”
Another said, “THIS WAS A SMOOTH ANNOUNCEMENT!!”
Although there had been rumors for months that the two are a couple, they had been tight-lipped about their relationship. In June, Common stopped by TODAY, and Al Roker asked him about the “Dreamgirls” star.
At the time, Common didn’t reveal if they were an item, but he did dole out another list of sweet compliments.
“I’ll say, speaking of Chicago, she’s a Chicagoan, this amazing human being — I’ve always been inspired by her,” he gushed. “She’s one of the most beautiful people I ever met on the planet. Incredible heart, and she’s just dope, man.”
He continued, “Seeing her evolve and like from an actress and singing, like just doing so many things and now her talk show. She’s amazing, she’s inspiring. I’m grateful to know her.”
Common was previously in a relationship with Tiffany Haddish. She said in an interview with The Washington Post in July 2023 that their breakup “wasn’t mutual” as he had previously implied after they split in 2021.
He has a daughter, Omoye Assata Lynn, with former partner Kim Jones.
Hudson dated James Payton from 1999 to 2007. She started dating former WWE wrestler David Otunga, and the two became engaged in 2008. They called it quits in 2017.
The talk show host and Otunga share 14-year-old son David Daniel Otunga Jr.
