Jennifer Hudson and Common are incredibly private about their romance. They almost never discuss their love life. In fact, it took years of sightings and rumors for them to finally confirm they were an item. It appears that the duo is becoming a bit more comfortable with the spotlight these days, though. In the last few weeks, they have praised each other openly. Considering the love they are showing each other publicly, let’s take a look back at their relationship timeline.

Jennifer Hudson and Common have run into each other through the years

Jennifer Hudson and Common have run in similar social circles for years. They have a lot in common. Common, whose legal name is Lonnie Lynn, was raised in Chicago, just like Jennifer Hudson. They are both musically inclined and have parlayed their music careers into acting as well. Because of the way their lives intersected, it didn’t come as much of a shock when they were seen at industry events together.

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They were first photographed together in 2014 at a charity event. They also attended several of the same events in 2015. Hudson and Common even sat together at the 2015 Pre-GRAMMY Gala. Over the years, they were photographed together, but they were never spotted together outside of industry events. That changed in 2022.

Rumors really flew in 2022 after they starred in a film together

While they were spotted spending time together at major events a decade ago, there was nothing there that suggested they were anything but friends. That changed in 2022, when they began filming the action-thriller Breathe, together. In the film, Common portrayed Jennifer’s on-screen husband. That chemistry led to numerous rumors. They took that on-screen chemistry into the real world and were spotted on what appeared to be dates several times that year.

Jennifer Hudson addressed the rumors, but she neither confirmed nor denied dating Common. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she was asked about all of the sightings of her and Common out together. She said, “We shot a film together, and he played my husband. We gotta eat in between those moments.” While she didn’t confirm a relationship, fans were quick to notice that she also didn’t shut down the rumors.

She grew a bit braver the following year. In August 2023, she told TMZ she thought Common was a “beautiful man.” A few months later, she confirmed she was seeing someone, calling it “definitely not an entanglement.” Still, she did not confirm who she was dating, but everyone knew.

When did Jennifer Hudson and Common actually confirm their relationship?

Jennifer Hudson’s comments about Common in 2023 certainly made it clear they were dating, but they didn’t actually confirm that romance until 2024. In January 2024, Common appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show and admitted to being in a relationship. He said, “I’m in a relationship that is with one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met in life. She’s smart, she loves God, she has something real down-to-earth about her. She’s talented.” Hudson was glowing. She replied that she was with someone, too.

This year, things have gotten more serious. Common recently appeared on the Mama I Made It podcast to discuss life, and he opened up about his relationship with Hudson. The rapper said the relationship is one of the greatest blessings and the most important thing in his life. He continued, insisting that he didn’t know what true partnership was until he linked up with Hudson. He said,  “I think whatever growing I had to do, it was the divine time in alignment with when Jennifer and I started being interested in each other. ” Just days ago, Hudson gushed about her boyfriend, saying he’s ‘such a light.”