It’s no wonder The Jennifer Hudson Show’s employees call the daytime talk show’s set the “Happy Place.” Just take a look at guests’ reactions when they encounter the “spirit tunnels” in which employees hype them up on the way to the stage.
The spirit tunnel videos debuted online in this current third season, and as of February, they had racked up nearly 2 billion views, as host Jennifer Hudson said on the show.
Producers of the talk show write, rehearse, and perform original songs and chants for the show’s guests, and each spirit tunnel can take days, weeks, and months of planning on their “Tunnel Vision” group chat, as The Washington Post reported this month.
And guests actually get two spirit tunnels apiece, one before their interview and one after. “This season alone, we’ve done at least 800 or more tunnels,” producer Angie Green told the Post.
The tradition started off screen in Season 1, as staff members performed spirit tunnels for Hudson, whom they’ve dubbed the “mistress of joy.” For Season 3, Hudson had the idea to hype guests up in similar fashion.
“It shows people the environment that’s here,” she said. “What better way to exude happiness and joy than through song and celebration?”
Executive producer Andy Lassner credits Green, associate producer Alexis Powell, and talent booker Paige Matthews as the masterminds of the viral tradition. “Nowhere in my 40 years have I seen anything like these young ladies and what they do; they’ve created something that has broken through,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “In talk shows, you’re now competing with not just daytime talk, you’re competing with the internet and streaming and everything. All you want to do is break through — and they’ve created pop culture.”
That work has paid off. The Jennifer Hudson Show team reports they’ve reached 44.6 million viewers this season, ranking in third behind Live With Kelly & Mark and The Kelly Clarkson Show in total viewers, per the Post.
We certainly understand the appeal! See our favorite Jennifer Hudson Show spirit tunnels in the ranking below.
13. Angela Bassett
Bassett was the first celeb to get the spirit-tunnel treatment, and might we just say, Stella never lost her groove. (We also give the 9-1-1 star bonus points for sharing her appreciation with the talk show’s staff. “How can I not have a great interview?” she said.)
@jenniferhudsonshow She’s heeere! 🤩 #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #angelabassett #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
12. Lee Jung-jae
When this star of Squid Game and The Acolyte came by, he was tickled to see the Jennifer Hudson Show staff greeting him with “안녕하세요,” or “annyeonghaseyo.” (“They were saying hello in Korean!” Hudson exclaimed on the show.)
@jenniferhudsonshow 안녕하세요 Lee Jung-jae🫰🏾#thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #leejungjae #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
11. Debbie Allen
After her decades in Hollywood, this Grey’s Anatomy star and EP got the royal treatment she deserves as spirit-tunnel chanters offered a throwback to her roles in the Fame film and its TV spinoff. A delighted Allen sang along, and then said, “Aw, you make me feel special. Thank you.”
@jenniferhudsonshow Debbie Allen you will always be famous #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #debbieallen #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
10. Chris Perfetti
Between those dance moves and that floral-print suit, Perfetti has way more swag than his Abbott Elementary character could ever hope for. But Jacob would be proud to see his real-life alter-ego pause to point out that one staffer had dropped their wireless earbud on the floor.
@jenniferhudsonshow #ChrisPerfetti is here! #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
9. Bert Kreischer
Of course this oft-shirtless comedian doffed his shirt to a customized tune of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.” But judging from the peals of laughter, it seems like The Jennifer Hudson Show wasn’t ready for him to take off his belt and use it like a whip. Not every can get the spirit tunnel to break like Kreischer did!
@jenniferhudsonshow It’s getting hot in here with @bertkreischer ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
8. Michelle Obama
This former FLOTUS seemed to be floating on air as The Jennifer Hudson Show greeted her with a new take on Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish.” (Example lyrics: “Michelle Obama’s walking / We can’t let her go / She’s a classy lady / We just love her so.”)
@jenniferhudsonshowMichelle Obama is at The Happy Place tomorrow!♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
7. Gwen Stefani
This pop star’s spirit tunnel was the first to go viral, producers told the Post. As staffers riffed on her song “Hollaback Girl” — “It’s Gwen, Gwen Stefani, S-T-E-F-A-N-I” — the woman of the hour recruited one of them for a dance.
@jenniferhudsonshow It’s Gwen! @Gwen Stefani! S-T-E-F-A-N-I! #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #gwenstefani #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
6. Usher
They don’t make ‘em much smoother than this R&B artist, especially when he’s gliding around on roller skates. Did it seem like every one of the Jennifer Hudson Show employees had crowded into that hallway that day? “Yeah!”
@jenniferhudsonshow It’s @Usher Raymond baby #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #usher #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
5. Druski
If the Jennifer Hudson Show crew was trying to turn up this comedian, mission successful. With his running man and Nae Nae dance moves, his pelvic thrusts, and his faux-serious handshake, Druski matched the energy and then some.
@jenniferhudsonshow @DRUSKI is at the Happy Place! #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #druski #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
4. Adam DeVine
We haven’t seen a more energetic response to a spirit tunnel than this Righteous Gemstone star’s. There was twerking. There was a high kick. There was a death drop. There were even dance moves we’ve never seen before (and could certainly never replicate).
@jenniferhudsonshowAdam’s at the Happy Place!♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
3. Jay Ellis
There was nothing Insecure about the way Ellis cut a rug in his spirt tunnel. As staffers sang “J to the E-L, L to the I-S” — a riff on “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” by Jay-Z, one of Ellis’ favorite rappers — the actor got low.
@jenniferhudsonshow @Jay Ellis ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
2. Keke Palmer
Staffer: “I know it ain’t, I know it ain’t Keke Palmer.” Palmer, sounding touched: “You know it’s your girl!” So began an especially joyful spirit tunnel, with Palmer dancing to the Jennifer Hudson Showstaffers’ adaptation of the True Jackson, VP theme song. (As one TikTok commenter put it, the actor is “sunlight personified.”)
@jenniferhudsonshow You know it’s your girl! @Keke Palmer #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #kekepalmer #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show
1. Aaron Pierre
And finally, we reach the spirit tunnel that broke the Internet — or, at least, The Jennifer Hudson Show’s social media channels. Viewers couldn’t watch the Mufasa star do a slow groove down the hallway without thirsty (and NSFW) remarks, so the show eventually had to turn off the comments.
@jenniferhudsonshow Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa #thejenniferhudsonshow #jenniferhudson #aaronpierre #jhud ♬ original sound – Jennifer Hudson Show