MIAMI After Jennifer Hudson publicly mentioned her first job at Burger King, the hamburger giant has offered her a lifetime all-you-can-eat pass for free food at the restaurants, according to the website TMZ.com.
"American Idol" judge Simon Cowell criticized the one-time contestant on that show for not thanking the program in her acceptance speech for the best-supporting-actress Oscar. Hudson reportedly snapped back, "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 BK on East 87th and State Street in Chicago. Burger King was her first job at age 16, where she worked with her sister, who claims she sang while working the drive-thru and flipping burgers. Hudson won the Oscar for her role in "Dream Girls," often characterized as a fictionalized account of the Motown group The Supremes.
TMZ said Burger King responded to Hudson's beef, assuring her that no thanks is necessary, and awarded her with BK for life:
"...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 Corp. 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 Corp. is giving her a pre-paid BK Crown Card that will be automatically reloaded for life."
Burger King executives were not immediately available to comment on the report.
