Jennifer Hudson Reunites with 'My Dreamgirls Sister' Beyoncé at iHeartRadio Music Awards: 'Love U'

The ‘Dreamgirls’ costars reunited at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, where Beyoncé accepted the Innovator Award

Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé pose backstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 01, 2024. Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé pose backstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 01, 2024.
Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 1. Photo:

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé are having a dreamy reunion.

The two stars of 2006’s Dreamgirls were all smiles together at the April 1 iHeartRadio Music Awards, where the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer, 42, received the event’s Innovator Award.

“I am so happy I got to be there to cheer on my Dreamgirls sister as she received the @iheartradio Innovator Award!!!” wrote Hudson, 42, in an Instagram post on April 2. “Congratulations on such a well deserved recognition! Love u @beyonce !!!”

Her post consisted of highlights from the starry evening, including Hudson and Beyoncé hugging, chatting excitedly and posing for a photo together.

Bill Condon’s film version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls starred an Academy Award-winning Hudson as Effie White and Beyoncé as Deena Jones, singers in The Dreams — a fictional Motown-era girl group inspired by The Supremes. The movie musical also starred Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson and Danny Glover.

Accepting the iHeartRadio Music Awards’ honor onstage, a leather-clad Beyoncé said, "Innovation starts with a dream. But then you have to execute that dream, and that road can be very bumpy. Being an innovator is seeing what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength."

The 32-time Grammy winner, who released her album Cowboy Carter on March 29, added that her “hope is that we're more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art, with no preconceived notions.”

The country-inspired album, Beyoncé’s ninth as a solo artist, features Linda Martell, Rhiannon Giddens, Shaboozey, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone.

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Meryl Streep, Cher, and Jennifer Hudson attend the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 01, 2024. Meryl Streep, Cher, and Jennifer Hudson attend the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 01, 2024.
(Left-right:) Meryl Streep, Cher and Jennifer Hudson at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 1.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Hudson performed onstage at the iHeartRadio event in a tribute and then duet with honoree Cher, singing versions of "If I Could Turn Back Time" and “Believe.” Alongside fellow Oscar winner Meryl Streep, the actress-musician presented Cher the 2024 iHeartRadio Icon Award.

“It was my absolute honor and privilege to not only pay tribute to you last night, but to sing alongside you!” Hudson wrote of the 77-year-old hitmaker in another Instagram post

In her acceptance speech, Cher told the crowd to “have a dream. And then don't give it up no matter what happens. Because I know from my own experience that if you have a dream and you stick with it, you will have a wonderful life and it probably will come true.”

Hudson will next star in the sci-fi-thriller Breathe (in theaters April 26) and produce the Broadway-Bound Smash musical.

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