Jennifer Hudson to Guest Judge and Mentor on American Idol Disney Night Episode

Jennifer Hudson, who won an EGOT and competed on American Idol in 2004, will return to the ABC music competition series as a guest judge and mentor for the Disney Night episode scheduled for April 20. The announcement was made during the episode aired on April 14. Hudson finished seventh in the third season of the show.

Hudson will join judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood on the panel. The Top 9 finalists will perform Disney songs during the live episode, which will determine advancement to the Top 7 based on viewer votes. This is the first time Hudson will mentor contestants on the series.

Hudson's last appearance on American Idol was in 2015 during Season 14, when she performed "Trouble" with Iggy Azalea. The show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, has been running for multiple seasons and recently moved its airing from Sunday nights to Monday nights.

Hudson's Career Highlights Hudson has achieved EGOT status, joining 22 individuals who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

Her talk show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, was renewed for a fourth season and has received 13 Daytime Emmy nominations. Upcoming projects for Hudson include a summer 2026 concert with Josh Groban and a voice role in the animated movie Goat.

She will also join the producing team for the Fall 2026 Broadway revival of Dreamgirls. Hudson won an Academy Award for her role as Effie White in the 2006 film adaptation of the musical.

Episode Details and Viewing The Disney Night episode will air live on April 20 from 8 to 10 p.

m. ET on ABC and Disney+. All episodes of American Idol are available to stream the following day on Disney+ and Hulu. The competition features contestants performing for judges and viewer votes to advance in the season.