Jennifer Hudson to Perform ‘RBG’ Song ‘I’ll Fight’ at Oscars

By Alex Stedman

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Jennifer Hudson will be performing her Oscar-nominated song “I’ll Fight” from the documentary “RBG” at the Academy Awards on Feb. 24.

The Academy made the announcement on social media on Thursday, tagging Hudson and adding as an aside that “this has been our favorite tweet of the day.”

Hudson’s addition marks the first official confirmation of any song from the category being performed on the Oscars. The surprising news comes after  Variety reported on Jan. 24 that the Academy was looking at limiting the number of song candidates performed on the telecast to just two songs — those two being the obvious popular hits, Lady Gaga’s “Shallow” and Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “All the Stars.”

That report led to considerable upset among the film music community, as well as plenty of regular viewers weighing in on social media. But the camps associated with the three songs that seemed destined to be nixed — including Hudson and “I’ll Fight” songwriter Diane Warren — chose to remain quiet and hope the Academy would hear the outcry and rethink that plan. In recent days, rumors had circulated that a reversal might indeed be in the works.

Appearances by Gaga and Lamar have yet to be confirmed by the Academy, although they’re expected to be a fait accompli. That leaves up in the air hopes for a prime-time airing of the two remaining candidates, “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns” and “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”