Jennifer Hudson: "I Forgive William Balfour"
The singer talks to Oprah Winfrey about coping with family tragedy.
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| Jennifer Hudson Oprah Winfrey |
Jennifer Hudson is ready to forgive her brother-in-law William Balfour, who was convicted of murdering her sister, mother and nephew, the singer tells Oprah Winfrey.
In an emotional interview for Oprah's Next Chapter, Hudson broke down in tears describing the pain of dealing with her loss, but revealed that she understands why Balfour committed the unimaginable murders.
"Yes (I forgive him) 'cause I feel like for the most part it's not his fault, it's... how he was brought up," she tells Oprah. "We tried to offer love, but you were so far gone, that you couldn't even see that. A lot of things came out, that we didn't even know about, from his upbringing, which is like he never had a chance."
She continues, "Had you had the love that my mother gave us, or the background that some have, then you would've stood a chance. So how could your heart not go out to that?"
The Oscar-winning singer and actress admits that the path to forgiveness was rocky, and it took her time to make her peace with the tragedy. "It literally takes a part of you," she explains through tears. "Like, who I do grieve for first or who do I start with?"
With Balfour currently serving a life sentence for the murders, Hudson feels ready for closure. "I haven't been to the grave site since we buried them," she admits. "But now I want to go because I feel like we've accomplished this. We've done this. We got justice for you. I can't come back here empty handed. I've came back with just being served."
In an emotional interview for Oprah's Next Chapter, Hudson broke down in tears describing the pain of dealing with her loss, but revealed that she understands why Balfour committed the unimaginable murders.
"Yes (I forgive him) 'cause I feel like for the most part it's not his fault, it's... how he was brought up," she tells Oprah. "We tried to offer love, but you were so far gone, that you couldn't even see that. A lot of things came out, that we didn't even know about, from his upbringing, which is like he never had a chance."
She continues, "Had you had the love that my mother gave us, or the background that some have, then you would've stood a chance. So how could your heart not go out to that?"
The Oscar-winning singer and actress admits that the path to forgiveness was rocky, and it took her time to make her peace with the tragedy. "It literally takes a part of you," she explains through tears. "Like, who I do grieve for first or who do I start with?"
With Balfour currently serving a life sentence for the murders, Hudson feels ready for closure. "I haven't been to the grave site since we buried them," she admits. "But now I want to go because I feel like we've accomplished this. We've done this. We got justice for you. I can't come back here empty handed. I've came back with just being served."
