Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson Sing “Color Purple” Duet for First Time Since Costarring in 2015 Broadway Hit

The two stars sang the musical's love ballad, "What About Love?"

Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Hudson had a reunion to sing about, alright!

The two actresses — who costarred on Broadway in the 2015 revival of The Color Purple — were together again on the Wednesday, Nov. 27 episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, where they reminisced about their experience on stage and even broke into song.

It was an emotional experience for Erivo, who teared up as she looked back at photos of her time in the musical with Hudson. "Why do I feel like I'm going to cry?" she said before the cries came, later telling Hudson that she was feeling emotional. "It's been a really long journey. That young lady there had no idea what was in front of her. She was just trying to get through every show."

But Hudson saw more than that. Praising Erivo, the EGOT winner told the audience that Erivo "sang us down every night on that set of Color Purple live. I sat there and I watched her do it every night."

"You earned your way here, young lady," Hudson said. "So take it in and embrace it."

Related: Watch Cynthia Erivo Get Elphaba Makeup Done in Dramatic Timelapse Video: 'More Than Just a Green Girl' (Exclusive)

Erivo, 37, played Celie in the musical adaptation of The Color Purple, alongside Hudson's Shug Avery. The musical — penned by Marsha Norman based upon both the novel written by Alice Walker and the 1985 Steven Spielberg film — also starred Danielle Brooks as Sofia.

All three actresses made their Broadway debuts in the show, which opened on Dec 10, 2015 and played through Jan. 8, 2017. Erivo would go on to win a Tony Award for her role, as well as a Grammy Award for the show's cast album and a Daytime Emmy Award for performing a song from the show on Today.

In the wake of her stage success, Erivo launch a career on the silver screen. She's already been twice nominated for an Oscar, and is currently starring in the film adaptation of Wicked, which will undoubtably be one of the biggest movies of the year.

Related: Cynthia Erivo Supported by Partner Lena Waithe in Sweet Posts Celebrating Wicked

It's an incredible journey, especially considering Erivo never imagined she'd make it to Broadway. She had starred in The Color Purple in director John Doyle's revival at London's Menier Chocolate Factory, but didn't think producers were serious about transferring it to the Great White Way.

"I thought they were joking," she told Hudson, 43. "We did the show in London in a really small theater, 200-seater. And I was happy to do that. And then on the press night, one of the producers said, 'Would you go to Broadway with this?' And I thought he was just being nice. I said, 'Oh that's nice. Sure.' ... 'If you'll have me,' is what I said."

Things only sank in when Erivo was boarding her plane to move to New York. "I didn't believe it until really I was in the airport with a ticket in my hand and I had to get on the plane," she said. "When I was on the plane.... I realized, 'Oh, I have to leave the place I was born in to go somewhere.' I had never done that before."

After reflecting about their time in the show, including how they felt when Aretha Franklin came to the theater, the two women sang a snippet of "What About Love?"

The love ballad, sung between Celie and Shug, is one of the beloved songs from the musical's score, from Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. It famously closed act 1, as the two characters came to realize the power of their budding romance.

"I want you to be a story for me that I can believe in forever," they sing.

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Viewers may remember the song from the 2023 film adaptation, too, which starred Fantasia Barrino as Celie and Taraji P. Henson as Shug.

"Remember this?" Hudson said afterwards. "It came back! Like old times!"

The Jennifer Hudson Show airs weekdays (check local listings).