Just when it seems Jennifer Hudson‘s career couldn’t get any better, the EGOT winner is about to add another huge highlight to her resumé.
On November 5, 2026, it was announced that in one month, on December 5th, the “American Idol” alum and recent guest judge will perform for Pope Leo XIV as she headlines the Concert with the Poor at the Vatican.
Jennifer Hudson Will Perform With Orchestra & Choir for the Pope
According to a social media announcement from organizers of the “Concert for the Poor,” Hudson will perform alongside the Nova Opera Orchestra, comprised of more than 70 musicians, and the 200-voice Choir of the Diocese of Rome, under the artistic direction of Msgr. Marco Frisina.
At least 3,000 people experiencing poverty and hardship will be invited to sit in the front sections of the Paul VI Audience Hall to watch the powerful performance. Hosted by the Nova Opera Foundation, this is the seventh such concert, with a “mission of transforming music into a gift of hope, bringing people together through compassion, solidarity, and shared humanity.”
Hudson, who called the invitation “such an honor” in the posted video, is following in the footsteps of crooner Michael Bublé, who headlined the concert in 2025, calling it one of the most important days of his life. Bublé invited his friend and fellow Catholic Carson Daly to join him for the concert, and they were both over the moon about getting to meet the Pope.
Daly jumped into the comment section of Hudson’s post and wrote, “I went last year! It’s so amazing and what an incredible choice JHud is! Go if you can!🔥🙌”
Along with many fans who were thrilled by Hudson’s news, songstress Kristin Chenoweth chimed in by leaving a series of emojis: “❤️❤️❤️❤️🙌👏”
Among the fans who commented, one gushed, “Wow what an extreme honor!!! ❤️ I’m sure its going to be an outstanding performance! God would be so proud 🙏🏼
Jennifer Hudson & Pope Leo Are Both Chicago Natives
Many fans heralded the choice of having Hudson perform since she and Pope Leo XIV are both Chicago natives, including one who commented, “The popes from chi town. He said get me those lungs ASAP. I know he knows”
Hudson was born in September 1981 to mother Darnell Donerson and dad Samuel Simpson, as the youngest of 26 siblings, but was primarily raised by her mom.
She told The Guardian in 2019, “Eleven girls, 16 boys. I’m the youngest, or at least in the last two or three. And it was always my dream – because I love family – to have a giant table with all my siblings. Just imagine the giant table! So when I turned 15, we went to go look for our dad, me and my sister.”
She did find her dad, a Greyhound bus driver, with her mom’s blessing, telling the outlet, “She said, ‘If you want to, go ahead.’ Once we found him, he moved in with us and never left us until he died. His name was Sam. He was supposed to drive me to college, but he passed before he could. That was when I was 16.”
Pope Leo XIV, meanwhile, was born Robert Prevost and made history in 2025 as the first American to lead the Catholic Church. He was born on the South Side of Chicago in 1955, per PBS. He earned a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, which began his path to the papacy.
Jennifer Hudson is Off to See the Pope — ‘Such an Honor’