Common Says Jennifer Hudson Is the Love That Came at the Right Time

For Common, love with Jennifer Hudson is about timing, growth, and connection. The rapper and actor says their relationship came together only when he was ready for it.

Speaking on the Mama, I Made It! podcast earlier this week, Common called the relationship one of his “greatest blessings” and one of the most “important things” in his life. “It’s like those things you pray for and you don’t get them until you’re ready,” he explained. “Whatever growing I had to do, it was the divine time in alignment when Jennifer and I started like being interested in each other.”

Before dating Hudson, Common was in high-profile relationships with Erykah Badu and Tiffany Haddish. He said he needed to evolve before he could appreciate true partnership.

“The friendship, the partnership, the life partnership, just the connection, it’s one of those things where you don’t know truly what true partnership and relationship is until you get there,” he told host Samantha Chatman.

The two have known each other for years and even worked together on the 2024 sci-fi film Breathe. Common said that while they had been around each other before, this was the moment when they began to see each other in a new way. “It’s inspiring to have somebody who’s as talented and just soulful and gifted and can do all these different things and is one of the greatest vocalists of all time.”

Common also described their connection as being “equally yoked” and said it has taught him about partnership and love. “When you get there, you recognize what it is. And I hold her up high and God willing, I keep praying for that–we just continue to be at our best with each other.”

He added that dating another Chicago native gives their bond an extra layer of connection. “I’ve traveled all over the world and I’ve been in relationships and met with, you know, [they’ve] been good relationships. I’m not taking away from anybody I’ve dated before,” Common said. “But, this Chicago woman–[there’s] something there like that we can relate to certain things.”

For him, Jennifer Hudson isn’t just a partner, she’s the blessing that arrived exactly when he was ready to receive it.