VIDEO: Kate Hudson, Oscar-Nominated Star of ‘Song Sung Blue,’ Returns to the Show
Acclaimed actress and musician also opens up about her exes and her famous parents, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
February 24, 2026
The last time movie star and musician Kate Hudson joined the Stern Show she sang a handful of fabulous tracks off her 2024 album “Glorious.” But when she returned to the studio Tuesday morning it was Howard doing all the singing — singing Kate’s praises for her Oscar-nominated performance in the critically acclaimed biographical drama “Song Sung Blue.”
Hudson portrays real-life entertainer Claire “Thunder” Sardina in the film, which chronicles the rise and tumultuous journey of the cult-adored Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning and Thunder.
“You did a beautiful job,” Howard marveled at the top of the interview, telling Kate how he’d predicted her Academy Award nomination way back in December when her co-star Hugh Jackman was visiting the show.
“You did! That was the best!” Hudson responded with a smile.
She was just waking up when the nominations were announced last month at 5:30 a.m., but Kate still vividly recalled that morning’s excitement. “I just got emotional,” Kate said, explaining her phone was ringing off the hook with celebratory calls from family, friends, and colleagues — including Jackman.
“Hugh is like the most wonderful, supportive person on the planet,” she said of her co-star.
As much as Kate is looking forward to next month’s 98th Academy Awards, she told Howard she isn’t preparing a best leading actress acceptance speech. “I’m not a fan of the rehearsed speech. I like when it feels from the heart and spontaneous and authentic — or nervous and real,” she said.
“I have so many things to say about my family that I’m nervous to even prepare any of it. I think it just needs to come out the way it’s supposed to come out,” Hudson concluded. “I feel like there’s this thing where you have to say something profound, right? But I don’t want to put that pressure on myself.”
The Oscars Advice She Got From Kurt Russell
“Song Sung Blue” gives Kate her second Oscar nomination, and her first since 2001 when she was up for best supporting actress after playing Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s revered coming-of-age film “Almost Famous.”
“I was so young, and it was such a whirlwind,” she recalled of her first trip to the Oscars.
Kate didn’t win that year despite being a heavy favorite, but she said the blow was softened because her dad — Hollywood legend Kurt Russell — had given her some great advice before the ceremony. “He just kept saying, ‘Don’t listen to everybody. You never know. You never know what’s going to happen,’” Kate said. “So, I really went in like, ‘I’m not going to expect to get this.’”
“But then, when I lost, I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t get it,’” the actress continued with a laugh, explaining she was only taken aback because so many other people around her had assured her she would win.
“It was a good first lesson,” Kate said.
Clean Breaks
Howard and Kate’s intimate and candid conversation covered plenty of ground, from past heartbreaks to whether her mom Goldie Hawn will be her Oscars date.
Speaking to how she reacts when a guy breaks up with her, Hudson revealed she doesn’t typically stick around for a heart-to-heart: “My thing was always, Howard — and still is — if a guy says they don’t want it [or] they’re not into it, I’m out. I’m never the kind of girl that goes, like, ‘I want to talk about this,’ … I just say ‘Okay.’”
That’s not to say she never thinks of past relationships. Howard remembered hearing that when the “Almost Famous” poster debuted with Kate front and center, her first thought was reportedly how great it was her exes would all have to walk past it and be reminded of exactly what they’d lost.
“There were a lot of thoughts, but that was definitely a fun one,” Hudson laughed.
Kate Hudson’s “Song Sung Blue” is available to stream on Peacock and for sale on digital, Blu-ray, and DVD.
