Oliver Hudson details childhood ‘trauma’ with mom Goldie Hawn: ‘I felt unprotected’

Jack Hobbs
·4 min read
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Oliver Hudson, son of Hollywood stars Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, is getting candid about his childhood and how he sometimes felt “unprotected” by his famous mom.

Oliver Hudson, son of Goldie Hawn, revealed that his mother was a part of his childhood trauma. Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Netflix
Oliver Hudson, son of Goldie Hawn, revealed that his mother was a part of his childhood trauma. Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Netflix

“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, so I felt unprotected at times,” Hudson, 47, revealed during a recent episode of his “Sibling Revelry” podcast.

Oliver Hudson (right), son of Hollywood stars Goldie Hawn (left) and Bill Hudson, got candid about his childhood trauma last week and how he sometimes felt “unprotected” by his mother. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Oliver Hudson (right), son of Hollywood stars Goldie Hawn (left) and Bill Hudson, got candid about his childhood trauma last week and how he sometimes felt “unprotected” by his mother. Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
“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, so I felt unprotected at times,” Hudson, 47, revealed on his “Sibling Revelry” podcast. Kevin Winter/Getty Images.
“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, so I felt unprotected at times,” Hudson, 47, revealed on his “Sibling Revelry” podcast. Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

The “Scream Queens” alum said that while Hawn, 78, was an “amazing mother” and was “living her life,” Hudson often fell by the wayside when it came to her personal life and work schedule.

“She would be working. She had new boyfriends that I didn’t really like,” he stated, before clarifying that “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 [there] sometimes, and she came out far more than even my dad who wasn’t there.”

Hudson and his sister, actress Kate Hudson, 44, were primarily raised by the “First Wives Club” star after her split from Bill in 1982.

In 1983, Hawn began dating fellow actor Kurt Russell. They’ve been together ever since and welcomed son Wyatt in 1986, who is also an actor.

Oliver Hudson and his sister, Kate, were primarily raised by the “First Wives Club” star after her split from their father Bill in 1982. Paul Zimmerman/WireImage
Oliver Hudson and his sister, Kate, were primarily raised by the “First Wives Club” star after her split from their father Bill in 1982. Paul Zimmerman/WireImage
In 1983, Hawn began dating fellow actor Kurt Russell (left), and the couple has been together ever since. Barry King/WireImage
In 1983, Hawn began dating fellow actor Kurt Russell (left), and the couple has been together ever since. Barry King/WireImage

According to Hudson, he recently sought help to understand the nature of his trauma by undergoing the Hoffman Process course.

The weeklong retreat helps participants “identify negative behaviors, moods and ways of thinking” — and gave him a better understanding of his parents.

“The forgiveness and the compassion that you feel towards them at the end of this process is unbelievable, because then you realize that they’re only repeating the ‘ship that they went through, you know, with their parents,” the actor explained. “The forgiveness of my father was huge, because his dad left him when he was 5 years old in the middle of the night, gone.”

“You know, my dad didn’t do exactly that, but essentially he bailed, you know, so I can’t always help but think when we’re parenting, like, ‘What am I imprinting upon [my kids]?’ ” Hudson said, referring to his three kids with wife Erinn Bartlett, who he married in 2006. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
“You know, my dad didn’t do exactly that, but essentially he bailed, you know, so I can’t always help but think when we’re parenting, like, ‘What am I imprinting upon [my kids]?’ ” Hudson said, referring to his three kids with wife Erinn Bartlett, who he married in 2006. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
The “Grown Ups 2” star stated that the course — a weeklong retreat that helps participants “identify negative behaviors, moods and ways of thinking” — gave him a better understanding of his parents. theoliverhudson/Instagran
The “Grown Ups 2” star stated that the course — a weeklong retreat that helps participants “identify negative behaviors, moods and ways of thinking” — gave him a better understanding of his parents. theoliverhudson/Instagran

“You know, my dad didn’t do exactly that, but essentially he bailed, you know, so I can’t always help but think when we’re parenting, like, ‘What am I imprinting upon [my kids]?’ ” Hudson added, referring to his three kids with wife Erinn Bartlett, whom he married in 2006.

In 2018, the “Dawson’s Creek” alum revealed that he and his dad started to patch up their relationship.

“Well, we’re trying right now,” Hudson said on “Larry King Now.”

He added: “We’ve shot some texts back and forth.”

Their exchange began after Bill got upset by a 2015 Instagram photo Hudson posted on Father’s Day, which was captioned “Happy abandonment Day.”

“He felt hurt by it. I called him, and we got on the phone and talked. It was really productive,” Hudson told the late Larry King, who died in 2021 at the age of 83.

“Then we saw each other, had breakfast and it was the first time I had seen him in 12 years, and it was really amazing to see him. We talked it out, and we had a really great three-hour conversation.”