Donald Trump Puts Jennifer Hudson & Family Up For Free In Chicago Hotel

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Jennifer Hudson,Donald Trump,Celebrities,TV One

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Donald Trump and Jennifer Hudson
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Jennifer Hudson at the ‘Secret Life of Bees’ premiere in Beverly Hills
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Donald Trump
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Jennifer Hudson and her mother Darnell after the 2007 Academy Awards
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Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia, speaks in Chicago following the deaths of her mother and brother
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Jennifer Hudson’s nephew Julian King

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FIRST PUBLISHED: November 11, 2008 4:44 PM EST
LAST UPDATED: November 11, 2008 5:40 PM EST

CHICAGO, Ill. --

In the wake of her family tragedy, Jennifer Hudson has received a helping hand from a very unlikely source – Donald Trump.

Jennifer and some of her family members have been staying at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago – and Trump has been picking up the tab.

“They are safe,” Trump told People on Monday night. “She’s a great girl and we’re protecting them well.”

According to E! Online, Hudson has been staying at the hotel since arriving in Chicago on October 24 – the day her mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were found murdered, and her nephew, Julian King, was found missing.

Since checking into the hotel, the Oscar winner and former “American Idol” star has rarely left the hotel.

“She is still in shock,” a source told E!. “She hasn’t gone out much at all and has a lot of security around her.”

Earlier this week, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board ruled William Balfour, the only individual to be identified as a “person of interest” in the murders of Hudson’s three family members, would remain in custody while authorities continue their investigation.

Although Balfour has not been charged in connection to the slayings, the parole board ruled he had violated his parole and, as a result, would be kept in custody.