Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson is joining The Voice as a coach in season 13 of the hit NBC show.
The American Idol alum will be teaming up with returning coach Miley Cyrus and series regulars Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.
“Jennifer is an extraordinary vocal talent and one of the premier voices of our time. She embodies the experience, expertise, positivity and sheer talent that The Voice stands for,” NBC Entertainment alternative and reality group president Paul Telegdy said in a statement on Wednesday, May 10. “Her exceptional skills as a singer and actress have extended to film, television and Broadway, which makes her an incredible addition and a natural fit for our show.”
Hudson, 35, served as a coach on the most recent
season of The Voice in the UK, and won the show with her singer Mo Adeniran in
April.
The Dreamgirls actress posted about her new job on Instagram on Wednesday, writing, “In tears thinking of what this means and represents to me and knowing and walking the journey ! Wow , who would of thought after being a contestant , that one day , I would be sitting in one of those chairs from the U.K. To the u.s! Only God !!!! Oh but I made it !”
Hudson, who starred in NBC’s Hairspray Live! last year, got her start on the third season of American Idol in 2004, coming in seventh place after a shock elimination.
She talked earlier this year about how her memories of Idol influenced her as a coach on The Voice in the U.K. — particularly when it came to cutting contestants during the battle rounds.
“That’s the hardest part because I understand what this means for them,” she told The Express newspaper in February. “But you know who’s ready for it and who maybe isn’t yet, who has what it takes to make it and who doesn’t. But it feels extra-hard for me because I’ve been through it myself.”
The Voice airs on NBC Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.