It’s been nearly 20 years since Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia Barrino competed against each other on season 3 of American Idol. Of course, both singers have gone on to huge success. As Jennifer welcomed the cast of The Color Purple onto her talk show, Jennifer and Fantasia took the opportunity to reminisce on their time on the singing competition show in a preview from Entertainment Weekly.
As J. Hud welcomed the cast of the film, she saved her last hug for Fantasia. The two American Idol alums shared a sweet moment, as they embraced in front of the studio audience, before jumping into the interview. After briefly chatting with producer Oprah Winfrey, the EGOT winner shifted her attention to Fantasia. “Do you realize it’s been 20 years since we were on American Idol?” she said. “I hopped on an American Idol rollercoaster, and it’s been running ever since. I never would’ve guessed that I would be sitting here, and y’all would be sitting here.”
Jennifer then showed a photo from their season finale, which Fantasia ultimately won. The “When I See U” singer also asked if she remembered the day that they were all “in the bottom three.” The Dreamgirls star also asked her former competitor what she remembered from the show. “We worked very, very hard. I also remember building great relationships and being around great gifts,” she said. “Just being around you guys, making a family, and being up every morning away from our families, but steady-going, because it was something that we all wanted, and now look.”
Jennifer isn’t the only American Idol reunion that Fantasia has had recently. At the premiere for The Color Purple, the season 3 winner ran into former Idol judge Paula Abdul, and the two of them shared a sweet hug on the red carpet. In a video, Fantasia looked like she got choked up as she embraced the Forever Your Girl singer. “Wait, you’ve gotta stay with me. I’m grown up now,” she told Paula.