Gwyneth Paltrow Says Longtime Friend Kate Hudson Is 'Like a Little Sister to Me'
Gwyneth Paltrow Says Longtime Friend Kate Hudson Is 'Like a Little Sister to Me'
Jack Smart, Scott HuverThu, February 19, 2026 at 6:40 PM UTC
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Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow on Feb. 13, 2026
Rebecca Sapp/Getty
Gwyneth Paltrow gave Kate Hudson a glowing introduction at the Feb. 13 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Arlington Artist of the Year Award event
The Song Sung Blue star is “like a little sister to me,” said Paltrow
The Marty Supreme actress also recalled the pair’s “wonderful intertwining of our families” over the years
Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson might as well be family.
“I am here because Kate Hudson and I are real, true, old friends,” Paltrow, 53, said in her intro at the Feb. 13 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Arlington Artist of the Year Award event, which was honoring Hudson, 46, for her Oscar-nominated work in Song Sung Blue.
“She's like a little sister to me,” said the Marty Supreme star. “I'm much older than she is, but I remember seeing her when she was little,” adding that her parents Blythe Danner and Bruce Paltrow “were friendly” with Hudson’s parents, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.
Kate Hudson and Gwyneth Paltrow on Feb. 13, 2026
Tibrina Hobson/Getty
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“We grew up in the same orbit, but it wasn't really until the early 2000s that we became what we are now,” continued Paltrow, recalling how she and Hudson have enjoyed “the kind of friendship where we've had the full spectrum.”
That included “her 30th birthday, where I got really drunk, and my 40th birthday, where everybody, I think, got really drunk,” quipped the Oscar winner.
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Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson on Feb. 13, 2026
Rebecca Sapp/Getty for Santa Barbara International Film Festival
“We've been through breakups together and just this wonderful intertwining of our families. Our kids were in a band together when they were tiny and went to high school together,” said Paltrow, praising Hudson as “an amazing artist, an entrepreneur, obviously an incredible singer and a mother.”
Concluding her speech, Paltrow recalled FaceTiming her friend immediately after seeing Song Sung Blue. “I burst into tears. Not only because I was so proud of your skill and your brilliance, but because I felt you finally had a role that shows all of what you can do.”
The Craig Brewer-directed Song Sung Blue, released on Dec. 25, stars Hudson and Hugh Jackman as Claire and Mike Sardina, the real-life couple who formed a hit Neil Diamond tribute band in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hudson’s lead performance has earned her nominations at the Golden Globes and upcoming 32nd Actor Awards and 98th Academy Awards.
Speaking to PEOPLE at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival event prior to Paltrow’s intro, Hudson agreed that her connection to the actress-entrepreneur is familial — though at first she was “a crazy fan,” she admitted.
“We lived in England at the same time, and she was a huge support system for me and my son,” said the Running Point star. “She's Auntie Gwyneth. And she's always been there for me, like the most loyal, beautiful friend. And I look up to her.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
