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Cardi B on “The Jennifer Hudson Show”

Chris Haston/WBTV

Cardi B may have dozed off during her recent trial, but she’s not sleeping on preparations for her upcoming tour.

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While appearing on The Jennifer Hudson Show on Monday (Sept. 15), the rapper reflected on her experience taking the stand while defending herself against allegations of assault this summer, and later confirmed that she’ll be hitting the road soon in support of her fast-approaching new album Am I the Drama? The appearance comes nearly two weeks after a judge ruled in Cardi’s favor following a weeklong trial regarding former security guard Emani Ellis’ allegations that the star had injured her during an altercation in 2018, which Cardi has consistently denied.

“I was very, very upset,” the Bronx native told Hudson of having to go to trial. “I’m in the middle of an album rollout, and I have to go to court. Then, when I get to court, I realize that it’s going to be on national TV, being televised. It’s like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ I missed my kids’ first day of school!”

At one point during the trial, fans who tuned in zoomed in on her face as Cardi appeared to fall asleep. When Hudson asked whether she’d indeed nodded off briefly in the courtroom, the Grammy winner admitted, “I’m not even going to lie, I was.”

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“I had a long night!” she explained, laughing. “I’m in the middle of an album rollout. I was so sleepy, I was trying to fight it.”

Now that her trial is over, Cardi can turn all of her focus on the release of Am I the Drama?, which drops Friday (Sept. 19). And though she wasn’t thrilled about having to go to court during its rollout, she recently found humor in the situation by releasing copies of the album featuring photos of her in the courtroom as alternate artwork.

Another venture she’s planning for the album, she confirmed on Hudson’s show, is a tour. “Yes, I actually have an announcement coming soon!” she said, squealing with excitement. “I’m already preparing for it. I’m at the gym, and I’m taking dance classes already.”

Though she’s an experienced performer, Cardi’s upcoming trek is expected to mark her first-ever proper headlining tour. The star recently opened up about the possibility of touring for the first time in her September Billboard cover story, as well as criticism of how it took seven years after her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, to release a follow-up.

“A lot of people say I got comfortable because I make money, but the most money I make is when I go and do shows,” she told Billboard‘s senior director of R&B/hip-hop Carl Lamarre. “I could rush and put out music like it’s nothing and then pick up millions of dollars per show, but it’s not about that. I want the music to be great. I want it to be amazing.”

Shortly after the story went live, Cardi accepted Billboard‘s Impact of the Year award at the 2025 R&B / Hip-Hop Power Players event. “I’m just so happy that I’m a part of something that I love,” she said during a speech. “I always dreamed about this career — I just felt like with the environment that I was in, dreaming was dreaming. Reality crushes your dreams. So I’m happy that my career is the career that I always dreamed of.”

Watch Cardi open up about her trial experience and upcoming tour below.

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