Kate Hudson Credits Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell for Strict No-Handouts Upbringing Amid Song Sung Blue Oscar Buzz
Feb. 24, 2026 — Santa Barbara, Calif. Actress Kate Hudson credited her mother Goldie Hawn and stepfather Kurt Russell with raising her to ‘earn everything’ through hard work and self-reliance, despite their fame and the family’s privileged life in Los Angeles.
Hudson, 46, shared the reflections during a discussion at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where she received the Arlington Award. The comments come amid awards buzz for her Best Actress Oscar nomination for the 2025 film Song Sung Blue, a biographical musical drama co-starring Hugh Jackman.
Family Rules and Work Ethic
Hudson described how Hawn, 80, and Russell, 74, instilled discipline in her and brother Oliver Hudson, 49, emphasizing that their lifestyle was not ‘ours’ unless earned.
“We were clearly privileged kids. But I do think that my parents were so adamant about how none of it belonged to us, that we didn’t earn it, that in order to get a life like the one we were living, we had to earn it ourselves,” Hudson told Fox News.
She contrasted their upbringing with L.A. peers who received cars and other gifts, noting her family moved to Colorado near Aspen for grounding. On film sets, children had to work or ‘stay out of everybody’s way.’
“We either had to work, we had to do something to earn being on set or we had to really stay out of everybody’s way, but we couldn’t just hang around,” she said in an E! News interview.
Hudson attended the exclusive Crossroads School in Santa Monica and was determined not to leverage family fame early on.
“I will never take a job because of them. I don’t want anybody knowing they’re my parents. When I first started, I was so happy my last name was Hudson,” she recalled.
Biological Father and Family Background
Hudson’s biological father is musician Bill Hudson, 76, whom Hawn married in 1976 and divorced in 1982. Russell has been her father figure since childhood, with the couple together since 1983. She has stepbrother Boston Russell and half-brother Wyatt Russell, per People magazine.
Recent Praise and Career Milestones
Russell praised Hudson’s Song Sung Blue performance, based on the story of Neil Diamond tribute performers Mike and Claire Sardina.
“It’s just fun to see… She makes it look effortless. And I think that’s an achievement in and of itself,” Russell told Hello! Magazine.
This marks her second Oscar nod, following a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Almost Famous in 2001. Hawn won an Oscar in 1970 for Cactus Flower.
