Jennifer Hudson: American Idol Is A Stepping Stone

Simon Cowell has his panties in a bunch over Jennifer Hudson calling American Idol a “stepping stone” for her career which has brought her international fame for her role as Effie in the smash hit Dreamgirls. When Cowell was asked about Hudson’s comment he had this to say; “Jennifer Hudson said ‘American Idol’ was a ‘stepping stone’ for her. Stepping stone? It was her big opportunity to become noticed and she got noticed and she got ‘Dreamgirls.’ Singers like her deliberately turn against the show that made them successful. The reason (people) come on the show is because all the doors had been slammed in their face.”

In typical Cowell fashion the comment was harsh – doors slammed in the contestants faces? Well that’s not necessarily the case as it’s obvious that some people’s first step is American Idol (think Antonella Barba). However Jennifer Hudson had such immense talent that she probably didn’t need the backing of American Idol to secure the role of Effie. That’s not to say that knowledge of her because of American Idol helped her get the foot in the door for the audition; I firmly believe that it did. Don’t be mistaken though, Jennifer Hudson and only Jennifer Hudson secured that role. I agree that American Idol is a stepping stone. For some it’s a stepping stone to a larger music career than they had prior to American Idol (Chris Daughtry) and for others like Hudson it is a stepping stone to other aspects of the entertainment industry.