Jennifer Hudson celebrated her sister, Julia Hudson's 49th birthday on October 23 with a special tribute. The singer took to Instagram to mark the milestone day with a rare photograph – and fans had a major reaction to the post.
The picture captured Jennifer posing next to her older sister. The singer wore a lace dress with a leopard print overlay. Her luscious locks were swept back into a ponytail and her makeup oozed soft glam, courtesy of a smoky eye and a bold red lip.
Meanwhile, Julia opted for a more casual look as she wore a burgundy top and chose to go makeup-free for the evening.
© Instagram"Team JHud, help me wish a happy 49th birthday to my big sister @juleyah, the original JHUD! I love you!!!" Jennifer penned in the caption. The star's followers flocked to the comments section to wish Julia a happy birthday.
© Getty Images for The Recording AJennifer Hudson's 26 siblings
Jennifer is one of 26 siblings. Her parents, Darnell Donerson and Samuel Simpson, shared three children together: Julia, Jason and Jennifer. Before his relationship with Darnell, Samuel welcomed 24 other children.
The hitmaker opened up about her large family during an interview on Your Mama's Kitchen: Conversations from the Heart of the Home podcast in 2024. "Yeah, it’s a lot of us. Apparently he had 27 children. That’s a lot of children," she shared, before adding: "I’ve never met all of them but that’s the thing, I’m a family person. So, when I turned 16, I’m like, 'I want to go find Sam'. It’s what we called him. I want to meet all my siblings."
© Getty ImagesJennifer revealed she was desperate to meet them all, adding: "It was my dream to have all of us at this grand Thanksgiving or Christmas table, and we all sit and eat together. That was my goal at 16. We found quite a few of us, and I'm the youngest of all of them."
She continued: "When my grandma on his [her dad] side passed, my siblings over there were like, 'Y'all got a sister that can really sing, you should meet her. And eventually we all came together."
© Getty ImagesHowever, this wasn't the first time Jennifer shared details about her extended family. "Eleven girls, 16 boys. I’m the youngest, or at least in the last two or three," she told The Guardian in 2019. "And it was always my dream – because I love family – to have a giant table with all my siblings. Just imagine the giant table! So when I turned 15, we went to go look for our dad, me and my sister."
In 2008, Jennifer's brother, Jason, and her mother, Darnell, were murdered by her sister Julia’s estranged husband, William Balfour. William also killed Julia's seven-year-old son, Julian King. He was found guilty and was given three life sentences. Jennifer served as a witness.
