Things are going great between singer Jennifer Hudson and rapper Lonnie Rashid Lynn aka Common. Hudson and Common had some fun conversation about their relationship when he appeared on the latter’s show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, in January. Before the ‘wonderful’ relationship with Common, Hudson was in a decade-long relationship with retired WWE wrestler David Otunga.
Otunga and Hudson began their relationship in 2007 and the two hit it off right away. A few months later, the wrestler popped the question and the two became engaged. However, tragedy struck the Hudson family a month after the engagement which changed the singer’s life forever.
Jennifer Hudson Was About to Marry David Otunga When Tragedy Struck Her Family
Jennifer Hudson got engaged to WWE star David Otunga in September 2008 after less than a year of dating. However, a month into the couple’s engagement, Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, and brother Jason Hudson were found dead in their home. Her 7-year-old nephew Julian King’s body was also found later in the backseat of a car.
Her sister’s estranged husband, William Balfour was convicted of the murders in 2012. He is currently serving three consecutive life sentences in prison. The tragedy effectively put off her marriage and Hudson struggled for a while to pull herself together. However, she later revealed that it was her son, David Otunga Jr.’s birth in 2009, that brought her back to normal life (via Glamour).
Hudson and Otunga seemed to have a stable relationship over the years despite putting off their marriage. Hudson even told Ebony magazine in 2012 that it was Otunga who kept her away from Chicago at the time of the murders and saved her life (via PEOPLE). Otunga also spoke lovingly about their relationship to PEOPLE in 2012, sharing his excitement for their big day.
However, in 2017, the couple shocked their fans when they announced their separation. Moreover, Hudson took out a protective order against Otunga. Her reps told PEOPLE in a statement, “Today, Jennifer requested and received a protective order against her ex-fiancé. Jennifer’s actions are solely taken in the best interest of their son.”
Otunga’s attorney responded that he had never abused or harassed Hudson or their son and called the allegations against his client false. According to Yahoo!, they reached a custody agreement in 2019 where both of them received equal custody of their son.
Jennifer Hudson’s Latest Update On Her Romance With Common
Jennifer Hudson recently appeared at the 2024 Daytime Emmy Awards and opened up about her relationship with rapper Common. Her update on their relationship is good news for fans of both the artists. She shared with PEOPLE, “Everything is wonderful. That’s all you need to know.” Common earlier appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show in January and played coy about their romance.
He went on to explain about his dating life with a smart EGOT-winning celebrity, later confirming it to be Hudson. He shared that he had set his standards high and got the right partner. Common shared with Hudson in The Jennifer Hudson Show:
She’s smart. She loves God. She has something real down to earth about her. She’s talented. But I set my standard kind of high because she had to have an EGOT. She had to win an Oscar on her first movie. I set my standard high. She had to get her own talk show.
Hudson and Common began their relationship on the sets of the film, Breathe. Before his relationship with the Dreamgirls actress, Common was in a short-lived relationship with comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish.
