Modern dating isn’t easy; whether you’re looking for something casual, keeping things open, or racing down the aisle, trying to find the perfect match can be legitimately exhausting. And if you happen to be a celebrity dating in the public eye, it’s probably even harder, considering the fact that everyone is in your business. But a few million spectators and their many opinions aren’t stopping Jennifer Hudson and Common from pursuing true love. After months of dating speculation and rumors, the Hollywood couple (kinda-sorta) made things official in the most adorable way: a nationally televised hard launch.
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On today’s episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, Common made his debut on the morning show with an appearance as a special guest. He was technically there to promote the release of his new book And Then We Rise: A Guide to Loving and Taking Care of Self, but the rapper and actor very clearly had another goal in mind when he walked out to greet the blushing host with a wide grin and a bouquet of flowers.
“Are you dating anyone?” a smiling Hudson questioned.
“Yes, and I’m in a relationship that [with] one of the most beautiful people ever in life,” Common answered without missing a beat. “This relationship is a happy place for me…it’s one of those things where seeing her happy actually makes me really happy. I’m very grateful. I thank God each and every day.”
The A-listers have been romantically linked since July 2022, after being spotted together on a night out in New York City. Hudson soon made it clear that she was indeed off the market during a CBS Mornings appearance just days later. (“I think it’s more sophisticated than ‘boo’d up’,” she teased coyly of her new connection.) There’s no telling when exactly Hudson and Common started hanging out, but this couple kind of makes perfect sense — they have a lot in common (I had to, sorry!). Both stars hail from the southside of Chicago, have been major players in the music industry for years, and are on the third acts of their careers right now, Hudson as a daytime television talk show host and Common as a health and wellness author. They’re also co-stars, set to act alongside each other in Breathe, a forthcoming dystopian thriller about a family trying to survive an uninhabitable environment.
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Valentine’s Day might be a little less than a month away, but Common, ever the lover boy, wasted no time in lavishing praise and adoration onto his girlfriend. “She’s smart, she loves God, she’s got something real down to earth about her,” he rattled off a list of Hudson’s traits, eliciting cheers from the crowd and a smile from the host. “But I set my standard kinda high, because she had to have an EGOT. She had to win an Oscar on her first movie, have her own talk show — I set my standards kinda high.”
After confirming that she was also “very happy in her relationship” with someone who shall not be named, Hudson went on to say that she wouldn’t ask about Common’s love life for the sake of respecting his privacy. We’re picking up what the two of them are putting down, even though this announcement feels a little more like a firm, medium-well launch than a hard launch. Not that this couple owes us anything — they could’ve pulled an Issa Rae and kept us completely out of it — but during a time when the discourse about Black love can seem absolutely abysmal (how are we still arguing about $200 dates and what women bring to the table in this big 2024?), and misogynoir runs rampant just about everywhere, it’s always heartwarming to see a Black woman being chosen and loved out loud for the entire world to see.
Hollywood, if you’re watching, more hard launches like this one, please and thank you.