We Really Respect Jennifer Hudson and Common’s Private Life As a Power Couple

The Breakdown: EGOT winner and television host Jennifer Hudson found the man of her dreams: rapper Common. Their relationship timeline reveals how their love story was always meant to be.

We love seeing a successful queen find her king, and Jennifer Hudson has seemingly found hers. After years in the spotlight, a time that began when she landed her big break on American Idol, she saw a man who matched her fly. In 2024, she and Common confirmed their romance after years of keeping it private.

Let’s take a look at Jennifer and Common’s complete relationship timeline.

Common and Jennifer had one of their first appearances together a decade before they made their romance official. The two stars attended the 2014 Stand Up to Cancer event, per Just Jared. While Jennifer and Common turned heads by wearing matching Stand Up to Cancer shirts, fans weren’t sure if they were together.

However, as the years passed, they continued to be seen together at major events, including the 2015 Pre-GRAMMY Gala, the XQ Super School Live event, and the March for Our Lives. Still, Jennifer and Common never confirmed if their outings were more than platonic.

In 2022, Jennifer and Common reconnected, this time on-screen. The thespians played husband and wife and didn’t need to practice their method acting skills. After the movie wrapped, their chemistry began to raise some eyebrows among fans who were sure they were an item. Jennifer and Common continued fanning the flames when they were spotted together in Chicago and Philadelphia.

While everybody knew they were Jennifer and Common denied that they were dating, they continued to keep us out of their business. The Dreamgirls star doubled down on her denial in 2023, stating their sightings were nothing more than lunch breaks from work. OOOK girl!

"People create their narratives of it, and it's like, OK, you know how you feel," she said, according to People. "We shot a film together, and he played my husband. We gotta eat in between those moments."

The couple continued to deny their dating allegations that same year when they were spotted at a well-known date night restaurant, Nobu, in Malibu.

Finally, Jennifer and Common gave the fans the confirmation they had been waiting for. Cheekily, the rapper confirmed their romance when he was a guest onJennifer's show. During the segment, she inquired about his relationship status, and he vaguely admitted to being in a relationship, offering a clear tease.

“We had a little fun,” Common told Today with Hoda & Jenna about the interview. “I felt like, why not just be loving and honest with who I am and who we are. And it felt good, it was fun, we had a good time.”

Common and Jennifer's romantic relationship turned professional in July 2024. After confirming they were an item, the lovebirds entered the studio to record a song, "A GOD (There Is)," for Common's album, The Auditorium Vol. 1.

In May 2025, Jennifer and Common were nominated for a BET Award for the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award. The Jennifer Hudson Show host celebrated the nod on Instagram and called her boyfriend a “legend.”

"Honored and humbled to be nominated alongside legends like @common and @realpeterock in the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational category for 'A God (There Is),'" she wrote. "So grateful to be a part of this special project, and for the recognition! Thank you, @BETawards!"

The couple’s nomination came after Common praised Jennifer’s feature. The rapper said her fans have never heard from the EGOT winner before. While promoting the album in 2024, Common shared that fans had never heard her sound like this before, as it was on the track.

"I loved it because when I played it to musician friends, they were like, ‘Who is that singing?’” he said. “I’m like, ‘That’s Jennifer!’ It doesn’t sound like things you’ve heard from her before. I love that we could utilize her gifts in a new space. She brought it, man.”

Here’s to more moments of Common and Jennifer becoming the power couple we never knew we needed!