Jennifer Hudson has achieved extraordinary success as a singer, producer, and talk show host since she rose to fame on “American Idol” in 2004. But four years after her rise to fame, the EGOT winner suffered a deeply personal tragedy when her mother, brother, and nephew were murdered in 2008 by William Balfour, the estranged husband of her sister, Julia.
Hudson continues to find ways to honor them, including posting a tribute to her mom, Darnell Donerson, on November 7, 2026. Posing next to a portrait of her mom on what would have been her 75th birthday, Hudson wrote, “This has always been my favorite picture of my mom. Anytime I wear my hair short it’s my tribute to my mother Darnell, a.k.a Doll. So all things Doll today. Happy heavenly birthday Mama.”
Fans Can’t Believe How Much Jennifer Hudson Looks Like Her Mom in Photos
Fans instantly noticed the striking resemblance between Hudson and her mom, especially in the second photo she posted, and flooded the comment section with their observations, with many calling them “twins.”
One wrote, “You are her carbon copy! Beautiful x 2.” Another marveled, “Wow!! The same face queen. The face of BEAUTY ❤️”
Someone else commented, “Happy heavenly birthday to your wonderful mom ❤️ did amazing job recreating that look, you really look exactly alike love it 🥰”
One follower exclaimed, “I absolutely thought she was you! 🤎🤎🫂 So much love to both of you 🤎🤎”
Many fans also let Hudson know how proud her mom would be of all that she has done despite the adversity she’s faced, including one who wrote, “Wow you look like your mum.. I’m sure she would be so proud of all you have achieved xxx”
What Happened to Jennifer Hudson’s Mom, Brother & Nephew
Donerson was 57 at the time of her passing, when police found her and her son, 29-year-old Jason Hudson, shot to death inside Donerson’s home in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. A three-day manhunt for Hudson’s seven-year-old nephew, Julian King, ended in tragedy, too, when he was found dead inside an abandoned vehicle.
Balfour was convicted in 2012 of all three murders by gunfire and sentenced to life in prison. Hudson served as a witness in the trial.
In 2015, Hudson told Glamour, “It’s frustrating as hell to me to have somebody who ain’t lost nothing try to talk to me about it. I want to say, ‘Don’t even bother, because you know nothing.’ But you never know how much you can get through until you’re going through it.”
She has also said that she often receives signs “all the time” from her mom, telling E! News in 2018, “My mother wasn’t very talkative, but now that she’s gone, I’m like, ‘Wow, she had a lot to say!’ There’s not a day that goes by [that] I don’t wake up and be like, ‘My mama used to say’ and ‘What my mama said.’…It’s like, Whoa, she really did have a lot to say.”
Fans Can’t Believe How Much Jennifer Hudson Looks Like Her Late Mom in Touching Tribute — ‘Carbon Copy’