A Look At The Tense Relationship Between Kate Hudson And Her Dad
Kate Hudson's relationship with her biological father, Bill Hudson, has been strained for decades. According to the "Bride Wars" star's 2000 Vanity Fair profile, her parents had a bitter divorce when she was around three and Bill wasn't a strong presence in her life afterward. "I don't really know him," Kate, said of her dad. "I haven't talked to him in a while. It was hard growing up and your real father's not there. He would be there sometimes, and other times he wasn't."
The actor also shared that Bill couldn't manage to stay in touch with his kids despite living rather close to them. Later, she added, "He doesn't know me from a hole in the wall." The "Almost Famous" actor recalled that her dad didn't even bother to call her on her birthday. The publication noted that Bill had claimed he couldn't be there for his kids because of visitation rights issues, but Kate and her brother, Oliver Hudson, didn't believe it.
The entrepreneur further admitted that her father and his mother didn't appreciate her airing the family's business in interviews and wrote off her words as a desperate means to keep the spotlight on her. Bill certainly didn't seem pleased with the interview. Speaking to the New York Daily News, he admitted that his daughter's words made his blood boil and vowed to stop letting future hateful interviews slip by so easily. Bill stayed true to his word and clapped back at his children for their scathing Father's Day message to him in 2015.
Bill Hudson claimed he had tried to be present in his kids' life
For Father's Day 2015, Oliver Hudson shared a throwback snap of himself and his sister, Kate Hudson, with their dad, Bill Hudson. The sweet photo was contrasted by the scathing caption, which read, "Happy abandonment day." Meanwhile, their step-dad, Kurt Russell, got a sweet shoutout from both. The Instagram post appeared to be the final nail in Bill's relationship with his children, as he later told Daily Mail he was disowning them.
"I no longer recognize Oliver and Kate as my own. I would ask them to stop using the Hudson name," he said. "They are no longer a part of my life. Oliver's Instagram post was a malicious, vicious, premeditated attack. He is dead to me now. As is Kate." The musician accused his ex-wife, Goldie Hawn, of turning their children against him. According to Bill, his former spouse had made him out to be a bad father to paint a prettier picture of her life with her partner, Russell.
The former Hudson Brother claimed that he hadn't been able to see much of his kids in their childhood because their mom frequently whisked them away during his visitation time. Bill swore that he had written his children weekly letters for a year in their childhood but was unsure if they ever received them. The former actor further denied Kate's claims about him being absent on her birthdays and insisted that he had sent her cards and phoned her every year to wish her.
Their relationship seems to have healed slightly
During Kate Hudson's 2016 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," she insisted that her mom, Goldie Hawn, hadn't turned her children against their dad, Bill Hudson. She also didn't seem to look back on their relationship with anger, as she shared that she empathized with his struggles and forgave him for his past actions. It's worth noting that the "Glass Onion" star didn't interject when the host said that Bill didn't have a relationship with her three children.
Despite years of public feuding, Kate's relationship with her father appears on the mend. When Hudson appeared on "CBS Sunday Morning," in April 2024, she shared that she was "warming up" to her father. However, the fitness apparel line founder also said their relationship was almost non-existent, and she didn't expect to grow extremely close to her dad anytime soon. Still, there does seem to be a little ray of hope for them to find greener pastures. Throughout Kate's career, she has admitted that she didn't feel Bill's absence too much because her step-father, Kurt Russell, was there to cheer her on every step of the day.
In her 2000 Vanity Fair interview, she spoke highly of the "Escape From New York" star, asserting, "He is my dad," she continued. "He was always there, for the soccer games, the recitals—always." Kate also thanked her lucky stars for giving her mom a man who ensured her kids had a strong paternal presence in their lives. Russell and Hawn also appear to be fantastic grandparents to Kate's kids.