<p id=”par-1_37″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/celebrity/”>Jennifer Hudson</a> was enjoying a date night with her boyfriend Common when the unthinkable happened. The two were sitting courtside at a New York Knicks playoff game when a basketball to the face ruined their romantic evening.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-a-flying-basketball-smacked-jennifer-hudson-right-in-the-face”>A flying basketball smacked Jennifer Hudson right in the face</h2>
<p id=”par-2_35″>Per <a href=”https://www.eonline.com/news/1414345/jennifer-hudson-hit-in-the-face-by-ball-during-date-night-with-common” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>E! Entertainment Television</a>, Jennifer Hudson and Common were watching the New York Knicks take on the Golden State Warriors on March 4. The couple sat courtside at Madison Square Garden, cheering on the teams.</p>
<p id=”par-3_27″>According to the news outlet, Jennifer and Common watched Knicks point guard Miles McBride lose control of the ball. It subsequently flew right in the couple’s direction.</p>
<p id=”par-4_23″>The wayward basketball struck Hudson right in the face. Thankfully, it appeared the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/did-jennifer-hudson-throw-shade-at-cynthia-erivo-aretha-project-if-its-not-a-film-its-nothing.html/”>Oscar winner</a>‘s glasses took the brunt of the hit. </p>
<p id=”par-5_31″>A clip posted to <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vNk536EfVAo” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>ESPN</a> showed the moment Hudson was struck. The commentators rolled back the tape, checking to see if Common tried to protect Hudson from the wayward ball.</p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Common tried to help Jennifer Hudson on this one 😅” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/vNk536EfVAo?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-6_16″>“Let’s see what Common did. Did he protect her?” they asked. “He tried,” the commentators deduced.</p>
<p id=”par-7_13″>Hudson appeared shaken up by the experience. The camera caught her saying, “Wow.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-how-long-have-jennifer-hudson-and-common-been-dating”>How long have Jennifer Hudson and Common been dating?</h2>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”Common: Monday, January 22, 2024 | The Jennifer Hudson Show” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/wT0TWB_NsDs?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-8_28″>Jennifer Hudson and Common have been romantically linked since 2020 but were friends years prior. Rumors about their relationship began after they were spotted out and about. </p>
<p id=”par-9_23″>However, the couple has kept their relationship notoriously private. As of now, there’s no specific confirmation of how long they’ve been officially dating.</p>
<p id=”par-10_36″>Hudson and Common appeared to confirm each was seeing someone special in a January 2024 installment of her talk show. In the episode, Common, arrives with flowers for Hudson, saying he loves “being in your presence.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_32″>“Let’s get down to business, Mr. Common,” Hudson began. “I’m a host, and so I have to ask you this question because everybody always wants to know this. Are you dating anyone?”</p>
<p id=”par-12_23″>“So, yes,” he said. “And I’m in a relationship that is (with) one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met in life.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_57″>“She’s smart. She loves God. She has something down-to-earth about her. She’s talented. But I set my standard kind of high because she had to have an EGOT. She had to win an Oscar for her first movie. I set my standard high. She had to get her own talk show.” His comments caused Hudson to laugh.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-who-have-common-and-jennifer-hudson-been-romantically-linked-to-in-the-past”>Who have Common and Jennifer Hudson been romantically linked to in the past?</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-3″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/common-kisses-jennifer-hudson.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Common appears with Jennifer Hudson on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show'” class=”wp-image-3785590″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Common appears with Jennifer Hudson on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ | Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-14_19″>Common has been involved in several high-profile relationships. All the women he’s dated are brilliant in their respective fields.</p>
<p id=”par-15_29″>He dated singer Erykah Badu (2000–2002), followed by <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/taraji-p-henson-felt-hollywood-didnt-grasp-talent.html/”>actor Taraji P. Henson</a> from 2005 through 2007. He followed that up with a brief dalliance with Serena Williams in 2007.</p>
<p id=”par-16_47″>Common kept his private life on the down low for the better part of a decade before stepping out with political commentator Angela Rye between 2017 and 2018. His last high-profile relationship was with comedienne and actor Tiffany Haddish, which lasted one year from 2020 through 2021.</p>
<p id=”par-17_48″>Hudson’s most notable long-term relationship was with actor and former wrestler David Otunga. They got engaged in 2008 and have one child together, a son named David Daniel Otunga Jr., born in 2009. Hudson and Otunga split in 2017. She won an <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jennifer-hudson-once-described-beyonce-as-timid-and-normal.html/”>Oscar for <em>Dreamgirls</em> </a>during their relationship.</p>
<p id=”par-18_32″>Since that time, Hudson has kept her relationships out of the public eye. She’s focused on raising her son and working on her syndicated talk series, <em>The Jennifer Hudson Show</em>, since 2022.</p>