What is the happiest place on TV during the day? On “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” your favorite celebrities and public figures listen and smile as they walk through the personalized spirit tunnels that capture so many hearts online.
For example, Aaron Pierre’s widely loved entrance has earned over 65 million views on Tiktok alone. The actor danced down the hallway, and the crew happily chanted “Aaron Pierre, that’s Mufasa” before he took to the stage. He was talking on the show about his rising career and role in “Mufasa.” The first part of “The Lion King.”
His appearance has become a sensation, with reposting on X and being shared on popular blogs like Shade Room. Creators around the world have posted his catchy two-stage spoofing. Some fans attacked Pierre and edited it with the heartfelt actor in the clip.
“He took over. It was the first time that Aaron Pierre’s Spirit Tunnel actually had to turn off comments on social media,” Jennifer Hudson revealed on the show recently.
Other guests include Damon Wayans & Damon Wayans Jr., lead actor Lee Jung-Jae from “Squid Games,” actress Angela Bassett, singer Gwen Stefani and rapper Glorilla. Recently, actor Coleman Domingo had no choice but to snap his shoulders to the 1996 rendition of Ghost Town DJ’s 1996 “My Boo” and the crew of legendary singer Usher. Remix.
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“Yeah, we got an Usher,” the crew sang. “It made him feel like he was ready to roll.”
“They’re hyped,” executive producer and showrunner Andy Lasner told USA Today, adding that they will achieve the same feeling as when athletes walked the tunnel and cheered.
“I’ve been doing this in the daytime space for almost 40 years and have never seen guests come out. They were welcomed and very excited that the building is here. I feel like I’m there.”
When sitting with Hudson in October, Glorilla admitted that there was a ball in the Spirit Tunnel. “They just raised me!” she said.
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Staff will create ideas and run them to welcome guests
The Jennifer Hudson Show is an hourly national syndicated show released in 2022. Since the early stages, Hudson knew that viewers wanted to be their viewers’ sanctuary. The winner of EGOT said in an interview with Variety at the time. She wanted to create that environment for her guests.
The idea for the Spirit Tunnel came about the first season when Hudson came out of the dressing room and was greeted by staff.
“It made her so happy, and the energy she felt is so contagious that she wanted the guests on the show to start feeling what she was feeling,” explained Rasner. “Then, when our guests started going down the hallway on their way to the studio, they were surprised that our staff were doing these spirit tunnels. And then what we all expected. It seemed to take on a life of its own beyond.”
Exclusively looking at the creation of the tunnel, the staff said they started organically with simple applause and eventually “leveled up” to a full-fledged song. When it starts to go viral, they will get tags from friends on social media and see comments about them from viewers.
“Every day we produce talk shows, and that’s our main goal, but what this created is the second job for everyone who gets just as excited as producing talk shows.” continued Lasner. “Everyone on the staff available at the time can come in and they can see themselves. They catch their faces in it and haven’t done it for that reason, but it’s just an extra It’s a bonus.”
The entire team is helping out the song development, but the younger staff is at the heart of the fun, Lasner said. From interns to production assistants, the group uses the interests of talent to create lyrics and rehearse numbers a few weeks in advance. Spirit Tunnel is becoming so popular that many guests are asking to come to participate in the show.
Lasner pointed out that one of her memorable guests was former First Lady Michelle Obama, and that the Spirit Tunnel also exploded on social media. Her walkthrough has over a million views on Tiktok at the time of publication. She continues to promote her new workbook, and in December her management team produced the Netflix series The Later Dates, but never took her moment in the tunnel.
“This staff who works here has created a whole new viral sense and a whole new pop culture. It feels exciting,” Lassner said.
Spirit Tunnel “helped” viewers
In the typical daytime television landscape, interest has been declining in recent years amid the rise of social media and podcasts. However, in the case of the “Jennifer Hudson Show,” the Spirit Tunnel helped attract more attention to the program.
“Many of us who work in the entertainment field fight every day to get people’s awareness,” Lassner said. “So this helped us very much.”
For Hudson, the Spirit Tunnel reflected “the heart of the show,” with her staff and crew “always understanding the allocation,” she said in a statement.
“To see how people all over the world connect with these music and celebration moments, our mission to bring joy to people’s lives, not only is it a source of fulfillment for all of us, but to bring joy to people’s lives. It is a reminder that it remains as important as the day. The host continued.
Taylor Ardley is a news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her at [email protected].