Kate Hudson has three kids: Ryder, 18(!), Bigham, 11 and Rani, who is four. Kate gets a lot of flak because her kids each have a different father. Because how dare a woman have a child with her partner if she’s already had one with a previous partner. Kate, fortunately, shuts those noises out. She told The Sunday Times that her family dynamic is working just fine, thankyouverymuch. She and her kids’ dads – Chris Robinson, Matt Bellamy and Danny Fujikama – work very hard to form a solid family unit.
Kate Hudson is opening up about her co-parenting relationships with the fathers of her three kids.
If you didn’t know, the 43-year-old Glass Onion actress shares son Ryder, 18, with ex-husband Chris Robinson, son Bingham, 11, with ex-fiance Matt Bellamy, and daughter Rani, 4, with fiance Danny Fujikama.
In a new interview, Kate revealed what it’s really like to co-parent with her kids’ dads.
“It might not look traditional from the outside, but on the inside I feel like we’re killing it,” Kate told The Sunday Times. “The unit that I’ve created with three children with three different fathers is a seriously strong unit, and it’s ours.”
Kate continued, “I’m not interested in forcing some conventional idea of love or marriage. I’d like to be able to grow intimately with my partner for a long time, but I also don’t have rose-colored glasses on. My goal in life is that I want to feel love and I want to give love, but I’m also practical, so, one day at a time. I work really hard at relationships because I like them.”
This is why the term “traditional marriage” should start disappearing from our lexicon. People like Candace Cameron Bure and the purity police who go after women like Kate enforce the notion that those living outside a one man/one woman, legalized in court marriage have fallen short of some goal. But I think we all know someone who’s hit that mark and is miserable. The objective should be what Kate is describing, a functioning unit that incorporates all the members of the family in a loving and thriving way. Kate is also right that a family should reflect the people in it, not try to contort itself into society’s antiquated definition. Honestly, bravo to her for managing three households’ schedules. That’s a yeoman’s work.
“I’d like to be able to grow intimately with my partner for a long time, but I also don’t have rose-colored glasses on.” Many of us make commitments wanting/believing that we will be with that person forever. But we know the statistics. I remember when Kate got engaged to Chris. She was practically blinded by love. She couldn’t take her engagement ring off long enough to have it sized. There’s no doubt in my mind she thought that would be forever. But it wasn’t and they moved on. I’m glad Kate is standing up for the work she’s doing to make all these relationships work as they are now and not apologizing for not reflecting the cookie cutter image narrower minds think she should fit.
P.S. – I haven’t seen Glass Onion yet but I really want to. Probably this weekend.
Photo credit: Instagram and Cover Images
If she were a man, nobody would care.
Trump even became president while having children with several women.
I don’t think that’s always true. look at Nick Cannon.
I’ve got three stepkids that have two different moms, and while we’ve created our own family blend, it’s challenging for the kids. you never know for certain if a relationship will work out, but my kids have large age gaps as well, and it made it hard for them to all be close, especially since their custody schedules weren’t always the same. 🤷♀️ I’m sure everyone gets along, but split households and multiple half-siblings can be challenging for all involved. I feel too often parents focus on how it affects them and their ability to coparent, and less on the kids who have to go back and forth and have multiple homes and don’t get to grow up with their siblings as much.
I think the challenges of this do get significantly less than you’re dealing with famous people though. they have resources we don’t have, and these kids often end up used to their parents being away for long periods (ie. filming a movie or being on tour) in a way that my kids wouldn’t.
My only issue with this is that if Kate Hudson wasn’t a wealthy white woman there would be a whole different conversation happening around the 3 kids/3 dads situation.
The media(not you, Hecate!) and the public need to keep that same energy for ALL women, not just the pretty rich blonde ones.
I agree with this. Absolutely nothing wrong with Kate’s family make-up, I love her attitude towards family and relationships, but for sure she’s getting a big pass because she’s white and wealthy.
Exactly. If she were Katie from a trailer park in TN or FL, she’d be Enemy #2 behind Nene or Sherica from Philly, Sonia or Yollie from NY, and/or Maria from TX or CA. The narrative would be so different.
What @kay said.
Boom !
Still a position of privilege to be a famous white woman.
Yeah, it’s funny how things are perceived differently based on wealth, class status, and fitting a certain physical description.
When you’re like her or Kate Winslet, you’re considered “unconventional”and probably not even.
When you’re poor, less wealthy, or even just even regular middle class, I’m pretty sure the words are not kind.
That said, she seems happy and I know it’s not her fault wealthy people get props for doing what others are stigmatized for.
Oh, 100% — but I see it in a more positive context. Kate does have the resources to act with agency and make independent choices about her family. Certainly most people/women do not have that luxury — finances are a huge component of family planning.
Mindy Kaling touched on that in her Archetypes podcast with MM, and I thought she did a great job explaining that nuance. She has the resources to make decisions based on her value system, which may may the output looks unconventional, but it’s perfectly right for her/them.
In earlier interviews she was super flippant about the impact on the kids. There is going to be an impact and she always came across as so heartless and arrogant about that. Money can fix a lot of things but it always bugged me how she seemed to assume that the dads simply didn’t matter. Maybe they were not great dads, but I always got the sense that she simply wanted what she wanted and assumed the kids would be just fine with it.
You are absolutely right. She is glossing over her situation. The first two fathers have taken her to court because of various issues with child custody, schooling, homework and access. At that point she admitted that dealing with multiple fathers and their schedules was difficult. She does tend to be flippant about her situation and never addresses how it actually affects her children. As long as she is happy.
Beautiful kids. I’ve always loved the dynamics between a really older brother and a really younger sister. Her first son is 18 and her daughter is 4. I love how he’s sweetly holding his baby sister in one of the photos, while Kate has the middle guy tucked at her side. Reminds me of the dynamics between the older Beckham kids and Harper. She’s clearly built a loving community and that’s all that matters.
She is definitely glossing over the custody issues she had with Chris Robinson. You don’t file at court for more access if you are a “strong unit”
I think they must have gone through some awful drama but come out the other side. I believe her when she says they’re a strong unit now. Sounds nice
A black woman wouldn’t be able to say this without a shit storm.
Truth
As long as the kids are taken care of live your best life. She is lucky to be rich.
So why does Kate Hudson have to justify herself while Nick Cannon is free to roam the planet impregnating random women? Never mind. I know. 🤬
I think Nick Canon may get a pass based on his gender. but I don’t think Beyoncé would if she had this kind of family unit.
I think even Nick Cannon may get joked about in a way that Mick Jagger doesn’t.
And let’s remember that Nick Cannon uses money to control the women he procreates with. I suspect Kate doesn’t have rules about who her former partners can sleep with.
Both are free to have as many children as possible. Both have been criticized. Nick Cannon has been repeatedly criticized and rightfully so.
Did she cheat on each of the fathers with the next father all while being resentful that daddy #1 didn’t tolerate the cheating and using financial manipulation to hurt him? Does she obsessively favor her oldest child to the exclusion of the others? Or is this a perfectly normal present day family?
Love this in idea and execution – creating consciously a strong unit with your kids. very cool 😎
I’m so into language and word usage HECATE and here you go again hitting it. This am I’m stoked w your use of ‘yeoman’s work’ –
& don’t get me started on Hecate. Great character 💕 🖖
If she wasn’t wealthy, we know exactly how this conversation would go down lol. She’s an adult and can live her life, but let’s be honest that the only reason she’s getting away with this is her money. For any other adult, this would be a logistical and potentially even legal nightmare at the best of times. Having kids with two separate partners is pretty typical. People marry young, divorce, etc. When you start hitting that third marriage and beyond, hmm. There are circumstances where I can see how it happens, but I do think you should start examining your motives if you keep dragging kids through multiple relationships that fail.
She didn’t mention the step-parents and half-siblings of her kids in her family unit. Maybe it just made for an awkward quote.
I can’t believe Ryder is a HS graduate!! That’s really all I’ve got. Thank you to this story for providing my daily dose of “psst, you’re old!”
She’s my age. I don’t have any kids. I feel f*cking old now just thinking that I too could have an 18 year old.
She’s a couple of years younger than me, but same! Although I do have a 15 year-old, but that seems different somehow.
I was watching college football with my husband this weekend and I think I broke his heart a little when he noted how young the player looked and I said, “technically, we could be their parents.” 😂 We’re 45 and 50, it’s not a lie!!
I agree with a lot of you – this is a totally different conversation if it’s a Black woman, even if she’s rich and famous. If Halle Berry had a 3rd child by a third man, or Nia Long for example. There’s a lot of White privilege going on here – we accept this as quirky, a different path, her choice, etc. – and there’s also the fact that we love Goldie Hawn and she’s her daughter.
I think there was a lot of drama initially with the first ex – which has probably alleviated since the child turned 18. He’s an adult now can make his own choices where he spends the holidays, goes to school, lives, etc. That takes a ton of stress and conflict out of the situation.
One ex is more than enough for me thank you. I don’t have the time, inclination, or the patience for a man so kudos to those of you that do. I much prefer dogs and they’re loyal and more appreciative.
That having been said, I sort of love that she doesn’t apologize. Elon Musk isn’t apologizing and neither is Nick Cannon. Tristan Thompson doesn’t apologize. She doesn’t owe us an explanation and I love that she understands that.
All of this plus it’s HER saying this, not her kids. It doesn’t mean that her kids don’t feel the same way but I would imagine there were some periods of adjustment/discomfort along the way. Blended families typically go through some growing pains before they get to the place they’re in now. Curious how her oldest son feels about it.
On another, more superficial, note, she looks absolutely fantastic. She’s carrying that glow right into her forties.
I agree with everything you just said @Kitten – and yes she looks amazing and at peace. There’s a glow that comes with that and she is wearing it well.
Neither is Kate Winslet who has a very similar situation going to Kate Hudson. Three kids, three fathers, age gaps in between.
She looks great and her kids are beautiful. I think Kate Winslet has a similar set up, three different dads for her kids. I have boomer parents who married young and divorced so have half-siblings on both sides and step brothers so agree it seems weird from the outside but fairly normal if you grew up with it. There is a lot of judgement of women, with down right condemnation if it’s a woman of color. As others have mentioned, with Halle Berry, it’s she can’t keep a man and baby daddies. Very disrespectful. Don’t hear this type of talk for people like Kate Hudson but she gets unfairly judged too.She’s happy and loves her family and that’s something we all want.
Ask the kids what it’s actually like to be in that type of family. Nice PR spin from Kate.
I can’t believe her baby is 4 years old already! What a time warp we were in!
I don’t have a family like this but I’m skeptical it’s all hunky dory all the time. Maybe when Kate was asked about it it was going smoothly that day or week but I would bet you not all the time has it been that way. It is easier when your kid is 18 and can drive to see the dad like the oldest or young and you still live with their dad like Rani. But juggling schedules with two that go on tour plus you that goes away filming – it’s a lot to juggle.