FOX17 is your HOUSE OF IDOL, and former IDOL contestant Jennifer Hudson is proving she's still at the top of her game. FOX's Adam Housely talked with Hudson during her visit to IDOL last night. An Oscar winning actress, Hudson has been through a whirlwind journey before returning ot the place that helped make er famous. The Season 3 contestant took the IDOL stage, promoting her just released sophomore album "I Remember Me".

"I've been all over but this of course is special," says Hudson. "You know it's like the same place and I feel like everybody seems the same around, you know? and so it's like I said, I'm happy to be back home."

In only 7 years, the 29 year old Chicago native has had her share of highs and lows, from the tragic murder of her mother, brother and nephew to career milestones, like winning an Oscar and Grammy. This album reflects on it all, with songs that touch her deeply.

"I've been covering other people's songs so it's extra special when I get to sing my own stuff and have my own step on it," says Hudson. "The place it comes from sso you don't have to search to find the moment. You know what moment you want. Like you know what you want to give the people when you're delivering it. I came up with this thing where I feel like you have to, a song is like a product so you have to show people how to use it."

Something else she's all smiles about: her weight loss, trimming down from a size 16 to 6, becoming an inspiration for many, while losing 80lbs. in the process.

"When i started my weight loss journey I had no idea so many people were watching and at this point I have never heard the word inspiration so much in my life from different people but I just feel like if you are going to be a role model you should be a good role model and try to lead people in the right way so that's what I try my best to do," says Hudson.
Jennifer Hudson's Waistline Shrinks, Career Grows