Kate Hudson, Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Oliver Hudson got together for dinner on Wednesday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

But this is not a blind item about one of Hollywood’s most famous families. And this gathering was far glitzier than your average family affair: Hudson was the guest of honor at the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation‘s annual benefit, which raised $1.3 million for the Pioneers Assistance Fund. This organization provides financial aid and other support to industry veterans.

“This award is really special,” Hudson told Variety about being honored as Pioneer of the Year by the foundation named for the Hollywood icon. “Will Rogers State Park is my backyard, and especially after the fires, his legacy holds an even more precious thing for me right now, as someone who grew up there,” she continued, referencing the devastating fires in the Pacific Palisades earlier this year. “Because his house is gone, the barn is gone, the things that were the landmarks of my childhood, but [this award] says something about how you put your legacy forward.”

A tradition for more than 75 years, the Pioneer of the Year Award is bestowed upon “esteemed and respected members in the motion picture industry whose corporate leadership, service to the community and commitment to philanthropy are exceptional,” as so deemed by the philanthropic organization. Past honorees range from the founding fathers of the film business (Cecil B. DeMille, Darryl F. Zanuck, Jack, Harry and Albert Warner and Bob Hope) to modern masters (Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Banks, Universal’s Donna Langley, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, former AMPAS president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and longtime “James Bond” producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli). “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig was presented with the 2024 prize.

However, as Hudson alluded to on the red carpet, the annual assembly of exhibitors, distributors and industry execs had a remarkably unique vibe this year. As personal photos of Hudson posing with her family flashed across the ballroom, accompanied by a sentimental note from her mom and dad saluting their daughter on her big night — (“With a deep devotion to her family and an endless zest for life, she fills the world with love, joy and light,” Hawn and Russell wrote. “Our hearts overflow with pride and gratitude for the person she is.”) — the event resembled more of a family reunion or a graduation party than your typical chicken dinner banquet.

Kate Hudson (third from left) with “Running Point’s” Scott MacArthur, Brenda Song, Ike Barinholtz, Drew Tarver and Max Greenfield.

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Ike Barinholtz emcees the 2025 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Dinner honoring Kate Hudson.

Molly O’Keeffe/Capture Imaging

In addition to Hudson’s actual family, her TV family also joined the celebration; Ike Barinholtz, who co-created her Netflix series “Running Point,” emceed the ceremony, while her co-stars Max Greenfield, Brenda Song and Drew Tarver also sat among the well-heeled crowd.

Barinholtz opened the event with a comedy bit about Hudson’s storied entertainment pedigree. “I love Kate Hudson because, to me, she is Los Angeles. I joke that she wasn’t born: she just one day emerged from the Pacific Ocean,” he teased.

Hudson, Barinholtz noted, has the greatest stories about growing up in the industry. “I’ll come to set with a cup of coffee and be like, ‘Oh, this is a good cup of coffee.’ She’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, I remember the first time I had coffee: Goldie was having a party at the beach house, and Ben Stiller was there. He was like 20, and him and Jack London were playing basketball, and Oliver came out completely naked, and Kurt was holding baby Wyatt, like “What are you doing?” and Steven Spielberg filmed the whole thing!’ You can’t keep up with those stories.”

Then, Barinholtz switched from silly to sentimental, saying what he loves most about Hudson is her gigantic heart. “When you’re near her, you can’t help but feel that love too,” he said. “At this moment in time, the world seems pretty dark, and it is a privilege to spend time with someone who loves so much and is able to feel people’s pain but not succumb to despair and cynicism. That is almost a radical action these day, and I am just so grateful to be friends with someone like that.”

From there, Barinholtz cued up a clip reel of congratulations from an A-list lineup of past collaborators and friends, including Matthew McConaughey (Hudson’s co-star in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and “Fool’s Gold”), Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kathryn Hahn (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Glass Onion”), Mindy Kaling (“Running Point”), her “Song Sung Blue” co-star Hugh Jackman and director Craig Brewer, plus Hawn, Russell and her brothers Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell.

Coincidentally, Beverly Hilton is the same location where Hudson won the Golden Globe for her breakout role as the ethereal Penny Lane in “Almost Famous.” (“Whether it was winning the Globe, or nights that we were here presenting, the fun that’s been had in this ballroom and on that stage is real and I always love coming back to it,” Hudson told Variety on the red carpet, before taking a sip from a dirty martini a friend delivered mid-interview with People magazine.)

“Almost Famous” director Cameron Crowe presented Hudson with the award, taking the stage following Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation president, Focus Features’ Lisa Bunnell and PAF committee chairman, Bleecker Street Media’s Kyle Davies.

“She’s so unpretentious as a person that she makes her work as an actor, singer and a philanthropist, author, cultural icon, seem almost effortless,” Crowe said onstage. “She blazes her own path, her own way, and that’s what makes a pioneer. Right out of the box, the camera loved her. Men and women alike loved her, too. All ages could see a star who made you lean in. … You didn’t even have to meet her; she was already your best friend on screen.”

After earning a best supporting actress Oscar nod for “Almost Famous,” Hudson is back in the awards race with her upcoming film “Song Sung Blue,” about a real-life couple who formed a Neil Diamond tribute band and became a local sensation, proving it’s never too late to find love or follow your dreams. The biographical musical drama hits theaters on Christmas Day with Variety’s Clayton Davis reporting that Hudson’s performance is generating early acclaim from press and industry insiders, with many calling it the “best work of her career.”

Cameron Crowe presents Kate Hudson the 2025 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year award.

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Goldie Hawn, left, and Kurt Russell attend the 2025 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Dinner honoring Kate Hudson.

Molly O’Keeffe / @captureimaging.com

Crowe added his praise to the growing buzz, describing Hudson’s performance in one particular scene as one “that will scratch at your soul.” He said: “It’s a master class in true emotion on film … If you’re a young actor today, looking for an example of how to summon pain, sorrow, joy, laughter, more joy in a single moment, that road leads you to Kate Hudson.”

Hudson was welcomed to the stage by a standing ovation. “What stands out most to me, receiving this award are two words that are very important to me, community and legacy,” she said once she reached the podium. “For me personally, carrying on a tradition of values that have been passed down is incredibly important. It’s everything. I was raised with an incredibly strong family unit, and I’ve always felt that what I do represents something larger than myself: it’s my family, it’s my children, it’s my inner circle, it’s the larger circle. And I don’t strive for perfection — I find that very boring — but I do try to live in a way that they can be proud of.”

Hudson first praised her mother, whom she called her role model, for her dedication to philanthropy and putting her acting career on the back burner for the last 25 years in favor of advocating for children through her foundation. “Thank you for teaching me to not think about what I will do in my life, but who I’m continuing to become and to live with purpose and compassion,” Hudson said as Hawn grew teary-eyed.

To a grinning Russell, Hudson said: “Thank you for raising me in your vibrant world. For keeping me grounded and reminding me of the power of narrative and the importance of building character, not just in the roles that we play but in life and in the home.”

Hudson continued, thanking Hawn and Russell for “being an example of true love and what commitment is, and for having the courage and the confidence and the discipline to have the same hairstyles for 40 years.” (At this, Hawn roared with laughter.)

“Because of them, I was so lucky to grow up just surrounded by great artists,” Hudson said, wrapping up her remarks. “It’s the most beautiful world to be immersed in and to grow up in, and I’m just endlessly grateful that I still get to explore that every day. But Will Rogers reminds us that our work only matters when we connect it back to humanity. … The arts have always been about bringing people together and in challenging times, they connect us, they heal us and they carry us through.”

Kate Hudson poses with Lisa Bunnell and Kyle Davies.

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Kurt Russell, left, Macaulay Culkin, Scott MacArthur and Ike Barinholtz attend the 2025 Will Rogers Pioneer of the Year Dinner honoring Kate Hudson.

Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging