Jennifer hudson and i am telling you i’m not going

Amber Riley and Jennifer Hudson on The Jennifer Hudson Show Courtesy Photo

Jennifer Hudson and Amber Riley are bonding over their mutual experience of starring in Dreamgirls.

On the Monday (Dec. 5) episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, the Glee star and the EGOT winner bonded over both playing Effie White in the musical and its movie musical rendition, and gave the audience in attendance a taste of their vocal prowess by duetting on the bombastic track “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” originally performed by Jennifer Holliday.

During the pair’s sit-down, Hudson — who starred as Effie in 2006’s Dreamgirls movie and won an Oscar for best supporting actress — revealed that she “made it a point” to see Riley during the 2016 run of the play on London’s West End.

“Playing Effie and you know that — I’m sure you became very close to that character like I [did]. Having her story be this gift and not being able to be out in the front, and I felt that,” the Glee actress said, adding that “Doing things like The Masked Singer, Dancing With the Stars, I get to triumph, be triumphant for those stories. I get to be the winner for those stories and it’s just full-circle for me.”

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Following their discussion, Hudson and Riley gave a live rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” belting the song’s endless high notes with ease.

“And I am tellin’ you I’m not goin’/ You’re best man I’ve ever known/ There’s no way I can ever go/ No, no, there’s no way/ No, no, no, no, way,” the pair took turns singing. “I’m not livin’ without you/ I’m not livin’ without you/ I don’t wanna be free/ I’m stayin’, I’m stayin’/ And you, and you/ You’re gonna love me.”

Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar playing Effie White in the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls, while Amber Riley won an Olivier Award in 2017 for her performance as the belter on London's West End, and the two came together on Monday's episode of Hudson's eponymous daytime talk show.

There the powerhouse performers went toe to toe, run to run, "and you" to "and you," and it's a surprise the set was still standing when they were through.

Riley just won season 8 of The Masked Singer and, rather ironically, the judges persistently thought the vociferous Harp was Hudson beneath the mask. Stopping by The Jennifer Hudson Show, Riley told the recent EGOT that she identified with her characters on Glee and in Dreamgirls, two big-voiced gals just trying to claim their deserved place in the sun.

"I started out on Glee as Mercedes Jones and her character was always fighting for the spotlight, and then I did Effie in Dreamgirls," Riley said. "Having her story being this gift and not being able to be out in the front. And I felt that. And so I feel like doing things like Masked Singer, doing things like Dancing With the Stars, I get to be the winner for those stories. It's just full-circle for me."

And you know we couldn't have two award-winning Effie Whites on the same stage without a barn-burning rendition of the showstopper "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going."

Hudson began with some kind of attempt at a game involving Christmas trees in which she and Riley stood behind the pines and started singing, and it was up to the audience to figure out who started first. It was very The Voice, except minus the swiveling chairs and, spoiler alert, it was pretty obvious J-Hud would take the lead.

What followed, however, was so much beautifully chaotic over-singing that it's a shock Jennifer Holliday didn't descend from the rafters, half-swallowed microphone in hand. Hopefully all wigs in the studio audience were secured, as they otherwise surely would've gone flying by the final towering notes of "MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-UH!"

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