EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, 42, and fellow Oscar winner and musician Common, 51, are starting the new year off strong. The two seemingly confirmed their romance with a date night to an NBA game in Chicago where the Bulls played the Philadelphia 76ers. Both parties are Chi-Town natives.
The Bulls’ official Instagram account posted a photo of the two posing courtside, dressed in a black jacket, with Hudson’s hands on the rapper’s knee.
“Shout out to Chicago’s own Common & Jennifer Hudson for pulling up tonight,” the team captioned the picture.
Word about the pair dating began surfacing about a year ago when they were spotted looking like more than friends while shooting their new thriller Breathe together. The movie is set to release in May 2024.
The press spent last year trying to get the actress to confirm the dating rumors and while she wouldn't, she didn’t exactly deny them. In August 2023, when a TMZ reporter said she and Common were a cute couple she replied, “Thank you.” The reporter followed up and asked whether she was willing to speak on the rumors about them, to which the Dreamgirls actress replied, “Rumors say a lot of things. But he’s a beautiful man. I will give you that.”
In November, the talk show host confirmed she was happy and in a relationship while talking to Gayle King on CBS Mornings but didn’t drop any names. When King asked about whether she saw long-term potential for her current romance, she replied, “Boo’ed up? I think it’s more sophisticated than boo’ed up. Definitely not an entanglement. That’s for sure.”
Both parties were also recently spotted at Usher’s Las Vegas residency in December. It’s refreshing to see these talented individuals come together and they seem to be in a happy place. This is the first man Hudson has been publicly linked to since ending her longtime engagement to David Otunga in 2017. Common was last in a public relationship with comedian Tiffany Haddish in 2021.
By the way, the couple likely brought their magic to the game as the Bulls won 105 to 92.