Katharine McPhee and Jennifer Hudson Worried Smash Duet Was a 'Terrible Song' — but 'We Had a Little Fun'
Jennifer Hudson and Katharine McPhee are taking a walk down musical memory lane.
The American Idol alums reminisced about Hudson's three-episode guest arc on McPhee's NBC show Smash in 2013 as the latter appeared Friday on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
"It was so much fun," McPhee, 38, recalled of the experience. "I remember we were all so excited that Jennifer was coming."
McPhee starred as aspiring Broadway actress Karen Cartwright on the musical drama, which ran for two seasons from 2012 to 2013. Her character vied for the lead in a musical about Marilyn Monroe, for which she was up against rising star and dead ringer for Monroe, Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty).
Hudson, 41, guest starred on season 2 as fellow Broadway star Veronica Moore.
"And I do remember the first episode that we did together was the beginning of season 2. And they said, 'You and Jennifer are gonna open the show, basically, with this song,'" McPhee recalled.
Eric Liebowitz/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
RELATED: It's Showtime! Watch the One-Night-Only Bombshell in Concert Special and Smash Reunion
She continued, "And we got in the studio, and it was 'On Broadway,'" before singing a taste of the 1978 George Benson song.
"I remember thinking, 'That's a terrible song for me and Jennifer to do,'" McPhee admitted, as the talk show host chimed in, "I had that same thought but I didn't say anything."
McPhee added: "Yeah, I didn't say anything either, but I have to say that once you put your vocals on it, I was pleased. I was feeling a little not-too-soulful when I was singing on it."
Mark Seliger/NBC Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty in Smash
Hudson agreed, noting that they "had a little fun with it. We did what we could with it, right?"
The Waitress Broadway star then belted out the lyrics, as the live studio audience applauded and Hudson raved, "She be singing, y'all, she be singing. That baby be singing!"
When Hudson asked if she would do a reboot of the show, McPhee declared: "Of course I would do a reboot. People ask me that and people talk about it, but no one's done it. So, maybe we've got to get together."
RELATED VIDEO: Debra Messing Says She's Constantly Asked If She'd Do a Smash Reboot: "If It's in New York, I'm In!"
Created by playwright Theresa Rebeck and developed by Robert Greenblatt, Smash also starred Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston and an ensemble of other talented stage and screen actors.
The cast of Smash previously reunited in May 2020 for a virtual one-night-only Bombshell in Concert streaming event, hosted by The Actors Fund in association with PEOPLE, and benefitting actors in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Messing, 54, said during the event that Smash is "one of the things I'm most proud of" as she commented on whether she'd do a reboot: "I'm constantly asked, you know, especially [because] I was on a reboot ... And I'm like, 'If it's in New York, I'm in.'"
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The Jennifer Hudson Show airs weekdays (check local listings).
