Burger King Hooks It up for J-Hud

By Laura Oppenheimer in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 13, 2007 5:30PM

As Jennifer Hudson's 15 minutes of fame approach the 14:30 mark, at least she doesn't have to worry about going hungry. Yesterday, Burger King gave the Chicago native free burgers (and anything else she would like) for life.

What is the connection? American Idol judge Simon Cowell was miffed that Hudson didn't thank the show in her Oscar acceptance speech. Hudson allegedly responded by saying, "If I'd been any better at my job when I was at Burger King in my middle teens, I wouldn't be here either, so should I thank them, too?" Hudson worked at the Burger King at 28 E. 87th St. back in the day.

Burger King, not to miss a marketing opportunity, responded with a statement to TMZ:

In response to Jennifer's recent comments in which she asked if she should be thanking Burger King, we say thanks, but no thanks are necessary. Burger King Corporation is proud of Jennifer's success and while we never like to lose employees, in this case, our loss is the entertainment industry's gain. ... To further show our support for Jennifer, and make sure she never has to sing for her supper again, Burger King Corporation is giving her a pre-paid BK Crown Card that will be automatically reloaded for life.

Yay! Everyone wins in this case. More publicity for Cowell, great marketing for Burger King, and Hudson never has to worry about going hungry, even after Hollywood realizes her acting skills are ... less than stellar.