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All the Rare Times Jennifer Hudson's Opened Up About Her Son, David
The teenager is the spitting image of his mother (and latest Voice Knockouts Mega Mentor).
Former The Voice Coach and current Season 26 Knockouts Mega Mentor Jennifer Hudson is not only an EGOT winner, she's a PM: Proud Mom. Hudson has a son, David Otunga, Jr., from a previous marriage, but she tends to keep the teenager out of the spotlight.
Below, read on to find out what Jennifer Hudson has said publicly about motherhood.
How motherhood changed Jennifer Hudson
Hudson gave birth to her son on August 11, 2009, and told Oprah Winfrey (per People) weeks later, "It is the best feeling in the world, no words can describe it...Now I worry about every single thing: ‘Oh my God, what would happen if I sit him here, then he could fall and this could happen and that could happen.’ I worry like crazy.”
"I also make a point to have my David walks. A little walk in the morning with my son to Starbucks. It helps me gather myself by finding even little moments, because everything is in little small windows," Hudson told Real Simple in 2023.
"My son has a busy schedule, and I love to be there for him, so I’m learning how to juggle this newness. It used to be I’d hold your hand and take you to the park. Now it's like, how do I mother you? Figuring that out. And how do we exist in this new space?," she added.
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Jennifer Hudson is so proud of her son's confidence
"Little David has a really big heart," she told Real Simple. "...He’s very rooted in who he is and OK with that. Being a mom of a Black son, you have to make him conscious of and aware of certain things—who he is within the world. And there’s so many layers he has to learn! But he’s at an age where he can fully understand it. And he’s so evolved beyond what I could ever imagine.
Jennifer Hudson on parenting a teen
In June 2023, David graduated from his Chicago middle school, and Hudson couldn't have been happier. "My baby Graduated, Yal !!!!!! DOJ!!!!!!!" she wrote on one post, per PopSugar, writing in another, "My baby is a high schooler now! We had such a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends. I am sooo proud of you DOJ!"
In 2024, she told TODAY, "It goes from that phase when we’re holding them, we’re in the forefront and taking care of everything. Now my son is carrying me! That transition comes way quicker than we could ever imagine."
She also clarified that he's in control of how much he appears on her social media. "It’s all up to him now. When they’re little you can put what you want to put, you can say what you want to say," she said. "Now he’ll say, ‘Tag me in this,’ or ‘Don’t post this.’ It’s all him."
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Jennifer Hudson revealed some of David's hobbies
As he's grown up, David developed an interest in cooking. Hudson told People, "He cooks down!...One minute you're doing the cooking or preparing the food and all of that, and now, he's the master of the kitchen. He'll tell me, 'Mama, you wash the dishes. Mama, you set the table,' Now, that's my job...It's amazing to see how much quickly they grow."
"My son, he loves everything. He loves his steak. We love making pizza together, which is something that's so fun. He takes that over! And any dish that he comes up with from TikTok, he makes it, and then I have to taste it all. Luckily, he's a good cook, so it turns out OK," she added.
