In 1975, a musician from The Hudson Brothers met actress Goldie Hawn on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. Their attraction was immediate, and their romance quickly blossomed. They married in 1976 while expecting their first child, who faced a frightening start to life but ultimately survived. A few years later, they welcomed a daughter, creating the image of a picture-perfect Hollywood family.

Behind the scenes, however, the marriage struggled. The musician longed for a traditional partnership, while Hawn admitted she didn’t believe in lifelong monogamy. By 1981, the relationship had unraveled, and the couple divorced. Soon after, Hawn reconnected with actor Kurt Russell, and by 1986, they were raising their blended family together with the arrival of their son, Wyatt.

Over time, Hawn’s older children, Oliver and Kate Hudson, grew distant from their biological father. They credited Russell for stepping into the role of a consistent and loving parent, while openly sharing feelings of abandonment. The musician, Bill Hudson, disputed this narrative, accusing Hawn of turning the children against him. The rift became public in 2015 when Oliver marked Father’s Day with a pointed post about abandonment, deepening the family divide.

Today, the split remains stark. Russell continues to play an active role in his stepchildren’s lives, even as a grandfather, while Bill’s relationship with them is fractured. For Oliver and Kate, the story is about resilience and the family they chose, honoring Russell as “Dad.” For Bill, it is a tale of betrayal and loss. What remains is a portrait of a family forever shaped by fame, divorce, and the bonds—both broken and unbreakable—that define them.