Oliver Hudson is setting the record straight when it comes to his previous comments about his upbringing with his mother, Goldie Hawn, and her longtime partner, Kurt Russell.
During Monday’s episode of his Sibling Rivalry podcast with sister Kate Hudson, the 47-year-old actor argued that his comments on having felt vulnerability and occasional neglect during his childhood have been “taken so far out of context.”
“I’m even afraid to talk about it to inflame this even more, because everything is taken so far out of context. If you listen to the whole thing, it’s more about my child feelings in that moment rather than me and how I feel about Mom as a parent,” Oliver explained.
“I don’t know who I would be without my mother,” he added about Goldie, 78. “I can’t even fathom it. The love that I have for her and the respect and the reverence that I have for her is beyond anything. So, it was just completely taken out of context.”
Kate quipped that she “immediately” knew her brother’s comments would make headlines because he used “such clickbait words.”
“I can’t leave my brother alone for a second,” she joked.
The Rules of Engagement star conceded that his sister may have a point, noting that his use of the word “trauma” probably highlighted his comments in a way he hadn’t intended. “You say that word and immediately it inflames everything. There was no trauma coming from my mother, the way she raised me, in any way whatsoever,” Oliver said. “You’re speaking from a 5, 6-year-old perspective — that’s what I was doing. Without her, again, I’d be nothing.”
“In retrospect, I’m just gonna shut the f**k up from now on,” he jokingly concluded.
Oliver Hudson and his mom, Goldie Hawn – Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
The March 18 episode in question featured The Cleaning Lady star discussing his journey of self-discovery during a course with the Hoffman Institute, a transformative program aimed at unpacking familial patterns and building emotional resilience.
Reflecting on his childhood, Oliver dug deep into the complexities of his relationship with his mother, expressing feelings of vulnerability and occasional neglect despite Goldie’s role as his and sister Kate’s primary caregiver. He confessed to moments of feeling unprotected due to Goldie’s busy schedule and her romantic entanglements, revealing that his perception of her as a mother was marked by a longing for her constant presence.
“My mother was the one that I had almost the most trauma about interestingly enough because she was my primary caregiver and I was with her all of the time,” he shared with guest Bode Miller. “I felt unprotected at times. She would be working. She had new boyfriends that I didn’t really like. She would be living her life and she was an amazing mother. This is my own perception as a child who didn’t have a dad and needed her to be there and she just wasn’t sometimes and she came out far more than even my dad who wasn’t there.”
Oliver revealed that his experience during the Hoffman Institute sessions allowed him to confront and understand the trauma associated with his upbringing, leading to a deeper appreciation for his mother’s efforts despite their imperfect relationship.
Despite any complicated feelings felt during his childhood, Oliver has been candid about how Goldie and Kurt have been instrumental to his worldview today.
While speaking with ET at the 2022 Fox upfronts presentation in New York City, Oliver opened up about how Kurt gave him some advice that changed things for him in a big way.
“When I was on my 24th birthday, I was sort of struggling as an actor trying to figure it out,” he recalled. “Kate is a movie star, my parents are stars, I felt like a black sheep of sorts. I put that on myself. And [Kurt] said, ‘Look, Oliver, you have to stop caring. Don’t give a s**t what people think, how you look, all the stuff, you just do you.'”
“It’s not an easy task, but I think that’s the best advice because it frees you up, you know what I mean? It frees you up,” Oliver added.
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