Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson have been leading ladies in Hollywood for decades now, and with both having movies that are being honored with awards this season — Song Sung Blue, for which Hudson is nominated for an Academy Award, and Paltrow’s Marty Supreme — it makes sense that the longtime friends would cross paths. Indeed, they seemed delighted to see each other as they both sported pink for one recent event.
Kate Hudson was honored with an award at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 13, and she and Gwyneth Paltrow’s reunion ahead of the ceremony was posted to Instagram:
The How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star could be heard shouting, “You look so pretty!” as she and Gwyneth Paltrow shuffled excitedly toward each other outside of the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, California. Paltrow seemed to hilariously respond that it’s “such a weird outfit” as the mutual admiration continued.
If by “weird” she meant “sheer and gorgeous,” Gwyneth Paltrow was definitely correct. The Se7en actress sported a light pink Prada dress with a long train attached to the short skirt. The top was mostly sheer, with pink fabric providing modest cover over her chest but giving a good glimpse of her midriff. Her shoulders were also mostly bare, thanks to the dress’ spaghetti straps.
She wore her straight blonde hair in a high ponytail, accessorizing with Christian Louboutin heels that matched her outfit and jewelry by Hearts on Fire that included dazzling dangle earrings.
Kate Hudson was equally stunning in a custom Louis Vuitton dress, which was pink like her friend’s, though a shade or two darker. Unlike Gwyneth Paltrow’s, however, Hudson’s dress was loose, flowing all the way to the ground. The pink fabric was textured, and gold and brown accents were embroidered across the neckline and at her waist.
She wore her own blonde hair down, as her natural waves fell over shoulder, with earrings that showed off some large jewels.
There’s no questioning how close these two actresses are. When Gwyneth Paltrow presented Kate Hudson with the Arlington Artist of the Year Award, she referred to her as “kind of like a little sister to me.” Hudson, in turn, told People just how close their families are, saying:
We lived in England at the same time, and she was a huge support system for me and my son. She's Auntie Gwyneth.
The actresses’ children have reportedly attended the same schools, and Gwyneth Paltrow even threw Kate Hudson a 40th birthday party back in 2019.
I love seeing this friendship and how these women are supporting each other through awards season. Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t shy about pointing out that awards season is about money, but that’s not stopping her from singing Kate Hudson’s praises. In fact, she called Hudson’s performance “incredible” after seeing Song Sung Blue and said she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Everybody needs friends like these in their corner, and I’m excited to see if they’ll have more run-ins at the other upcoming awards shows on the 2026 TV schedule (and if they’ll color coordinate again!) Tune into the Academy Awards at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15, on ABC.
