( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )♪♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," EVERYBODY. FOLKS, MY GUEST TONIGHT IS AN
ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS AND
TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER YOU KNOW FROM
"DREAMGIRLS" AND "THE COLOR PURPLE," AND NOW SHE PLAYS
ARETHA FRANKLIN IN HER NEW FILM, "RESPECT." ♪♪
♪♪ ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT -- ♪
♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪ ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪
♪ ( CLEARS THROAT )
♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪ ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪
>> ONE MORE TIME. ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT. >> GO A THIRD BELOW, CAROLYN. ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪
♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪ ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪
♪ YEAH, BABY ♪ ♪ JUST A LITTLE BIT ♪
♪ SOCK IT TO ME ♪ ♪ SOCK IT TO ME ♪
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW" JENNIFER HUDSON! ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
♪♪ ♪ FREEDOM ♪
♪ FREEDOM ♪ ♪ FREEDOM ♪
♪ ♪ FREEDOM ♪
♪ ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> WOW! HEY, LOVELY TO HAVE YOU BACK. I FEEL THE LOVE AND I'M SO
HAPPY TO BE BACK. >> Stephen: YES, I'M CLEARLY
NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO'S EXCITED. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE, WE TALKED ABOUT ARETHA
FRANKLIN, AND YOU ALREADY HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HER BEFORE
WORKING ON THIS PROJECT AND THE FACT SHE HAND-PICKED YOU AS THE
PERSON SHE WANTED TO PLAY HER IN HER BIO PIC. WHILE YOU HAD THIS RELATIONSHIP,
WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ARETHA FRANKLIN IN
ALL YOUR YEARS OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP. >> I DIDN'T KNOW HOW CLOSE SHE
AND DR. KING WAS AND HOW SHE WAS SO MUCH A PART OF ACTIVISM. >> Stephen: I HAVE A PHOTO. THE STAPLE SINGERS WOULD OPEN
FOR HIM. WOULD SHE PERFORM? >> YEAH, SHE TRAVELED WITH HIM
DURING THE MOVEMENT. SHE WAS THE VOICE OF IT. SHE SHIFTED HER PLATFORM AND
HELPED INSPIRE THE PEOPLE DURING THE MOVEMENT AT THE TIME. THIS IS POWERFUL, YOU KNOW. ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: I UNDERSTAND YOU ALSO RECENTLY HAD A CHANCE TO GO
TO DETROIT TO HER CHILDHOOD HOME AND THIS IS YOU WITH HENCE MANY
OF HER FAMILY OUTSIDE HER HOME IN DETROIT. >> YES. >> Stephen: WHAT WAS THAT
LIKE. >> THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART. SO THERE IS HER GRANDDAUGHTER
GRACE RIGHT THERE. THIS IS HER CHILDHOOD HOME. THEY SAID THEY WANTED ME TO TAKE
THEM BACK TO HER CHILDHOOD HOME AND HER GRAND BABY IS SAYING
AIN'T NO WAY RIGHT THERE ON THE STEPS AND GRACE AND VICTORY AND
JORDAN. THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT
BECAUSE WE REMINISCE ON OUR FAVORITE MOMENTS OF HEARSE AND
HER SONGS. >> Stephen: YOU AND ARETHA
SPOKE A LOT IN HER LAST TEN YEARS OF HER LIFE. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING Y'ALL
TALKED ABOUT. >> SHE TOLD ME WHAT SHE HAD
EATEN. >> Stephen: WOULD YOU MEAN
SHARING. >> IT WAS AS IF SHE COULD TASTE
IT ON THE PHONE. I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT MEAL IT
WAS. THEN SHE SANG IT TO ME ON THE
CALL. IT WAS BY THE ISLEY BROTHERS. SHE SAID, IT'S THE ISLEY
BROTHERS. I SAID, YES, MA'AM, I KNOW. AND SHE KNEW MY SON WAS COOKING. I SAID, YOU KNOW THAT? SHE SAID, YES. >> Stephen: HOW LONG WAS THIS
BEFORE SHE DIED? >> MAYBE LESS THAN A WEEK. I WAS ONE OF THE LAST PEOPLE TO
HEAR FROM HER. >> Stephen: MAYBE ONE OF THE
LAST PEOPLE TO HEAR HER SING. >> HEAR HER SING BECAUSE SHE
SANG ON THE CALL. >> Stephen: DID YOU EVER SEE
HER SING AT THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS WHEN SHE SANG FOR CAROL
KING WHEN SHE SANG FOR THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS? >> YEAH. >> Stephen: I WAS HOSTING IN
THE WINGS WATCHING HER. >> THAT'S A SPECIAL MOMENT TO
HAVE. >> Stephen: IT WAS. IT WAS ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO, SHE
COMES OUT WITH A POCKETBOOK AND PUTS IT ON THE PIANO, WITH A BIG
FUR. AND SHE STARTS OFF SOFT AND LOW. I SAID TO THE STAGE MANAGER, I
WISH I HAD SEEN HER WHEN SHE STILL HAD THE PIPES. HE LOOKS AT ME AND 45 SECONDS
LATER I TURNED TO HIM AND SAID, I'M AN IDIOT. SHE STOOD UP AND ABSOLUTELY
BURNED THE HOUSE TO THE GROUND. SHE HAD IT TO THE VERY END. >> YES. >> Stephen: EXTRAORDINARY. YOU GOT TO WORK WITH CAROL KING
HERSELF, KENNEDY CENTER HONOREE AND THE WOMAN WHO WROTE "YOU
MAKE ME FEEL LIKE A NATURAL WOMAN." YOU WROTE A SONG FOR THE MOVIE. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? >> A DREAM TO WORK WITH CAROL
KING. JAMIE CAME AND SAID, CAROLE KING
COULD WRITE THE TITLE TRACK. SHE CAME IN. IT WAS OVER ZOOM BECAUSE TO HAVE
THE PANDEMIC. WE HAD OUR CONVERSATIONS OVER
ZOOM. SHE SPOKE FROM HER PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE WITH ARETHA AND SO DID I. IT PARALLELED WITH THE SONG. SHE SAID, I GET TO SING AND
WRITE ON IT? WHAT IS THAT LIKE TO WORK WITH
CAROLE KING BECAUSE WHO BETTER THAN HAVE HER PUT THE BOW AND
CHERRY ON TOP IN A TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN. ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: YOUR CONNECTION BACK TO ARETHA FRANKLIN ACTUALLY
GOES BACK TO BEFORE YOU EVEN KNEW ARETHA FRANKLIN. THE FIRST TIME MOST PEOPLE IN
AMERICA GOT TO HEAR YOU SING WAS YOUR AUDITION FOR AMERICAN IDOL. YOUR BREAKOUT. LET'S SHOW THEM. >> WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SING? SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR ME BY
ARETHA FRANKLIN. >> Stephen: GO FOR IT. ♪ IT'S AN EVIL WIND THAT BLOWS
NO GOOD, YEAH, YEAH ♪ ♪ IT'S A SAD HEART THAT WON'T
LOVE LIKE I KNOW IT SHOULD ♪ ♪ OH HOW LONG YOU MUST BE, IT'S
A SHAME IF YOU DON'T SHARE SOME OF YOUR LOVE WITH ME ♪
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪♪
>> DON'T YOU PLAY IT! DON'T YOU DO IT! >> Stephen: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE
THAT SONG? >> BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO A
SINGING COMPETITION. YOU GOT TO GET THE BEST IF
YOU'RE GOING TO TRY TO BE IN A COMPETITION SO WHO BETTER THAN
TO GET ARETHA FRANKLIN. THI WAS AT THE WOOL WORTH AS A
KID. I SAW THAT SONG AND I SAID, I'M
SINGING ARETHA FRANKLIN. AND NOW I'M PLAYING HER. ( APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU LOOK BACK AT THAT, DO YOU WANT TO GIVE
ADVICE TO THAT YOUNG WOMAN ABOUT HOW SHE'S SINGING THAT SONG? ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THAT
PERFORMANCE? >> YOU KNOW, I WAS A LITTLE
NERVOUS, OBVIOUSLY. I WOULD SAY, JENNIFER, DON'T
BACK YOURSELF UP, TOO. BECAUSE I SANG THE LEAD AND
BACKED MYSELF UP. ( SINGING AND BACKUP )
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: YOU CAN DO IT ALL. YOU SAID YOU DON'T WANT JOHN TO
PLAY THE SONG AND YOU JUMPED RIGHT IN. YOU WILL BE PERFORMING THE SAME
VENUE AUGUST 2 IS, I BELIEVE, BECAUSE YOU'RE BOTH DOING THE
NEW YORK REOPENS CONCERT, THE HOME COMING CONCERT CELEBRATION. >> I'M SUCH A FAN. >> Stephen: HAVE YOU GUYS EVER
PERFORMED TOGETHER BEFORE? >> WE HAVEN'T PERFORMED TOGETHER
YET. >> Jon: WE GOT TO DO IT. I'M WAITING FOR THAT
OPPORTUNITY. I'M SUCH A FAN. >> Stephen: LET'S TRY TO
FIGURE OUT AN OPPORTUNITY IN JUST A MINUTE. BUT RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT TO TAKE
A LITTLE BIT OF A COMMERCIAL BREAK. DON'T GO ANYWHERE. BACK WITH JENNIFER JENNIFER AND
SHE IS GOING TO BURN THE PLACE TO THE GROUND. ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
♪♪
