“All of our kids went to college at the same time,” Kate Hudson said.
Long-time friends and co-actors Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon, and Gwyneth Paltrow score high when it comes to helping each other through the challenges of parenthood. Hudson discussed what it's been like to rely on her old friends as they send their children off to college in a Sunday sitdown discussion with Willie Geist. “Our kids were in school together, and we both have that moment together. When we look at each other, we’re like, ‘How you doin’?” Hudson explained in the interview, which aired on TODAY on December 18. “Cause we experienced it at the same time.”
Ryder, Hudson's 18-year-old son, moved across the country this year to attend college, which she said significantly disrupted her schedule. The Almost Famous star revealed that in addition to Paltrow, she has fellow actor Witherspoon with whom she can exchange experiences related to letting go. Witherspoon celebrated the graduation of her son Deacon in June.
“It’s so hard,” Hudson explained. “All you want is your kid to thrive and be happy. But, man, when I’m in LA, and I go to the coffee machine in the morning, and I don’t hear his voice, it’s a big one.” The stars have been able to empathize with one another over the emotional pain of seeing their children grow up because “All of our kids went to college at the same time,” Hudson remarked.
Hudson has been able to share how she feels with both of her longtime friends because both of them remember feeling the exact same way when their kids went off to college. In 2019, Witherspoon revealed on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she broke down in tears as her oldest child was supposed to leave for college. “It’s weird when your children go away to college. It’s hard,” Witherspoon said, per TODAY, when talking about her then-19-year-old Ava, who was finishing up her first year at the time. “I might have gone into her empty room, laid down on her bed and cried when she went to college.”
Paltrow too, said to Us Weekly in October, “It’s been a major transition. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew it would be hard because Apple and I are so close and were together all the time,” Paltrow said about her 18-year-old daughter. “But I had no idea. It was like the worst heartbreak I’ve ever [felt].” The Goop founder added that she recalled struggling to come to terms with the shift. “I felt like the love of my life broke up with me for weeks,” she shared. “It was terrible. Now, I’m getting more used to it and it also helps to see her happy and well-adjusted. That makes a huge difference. And she just came home for October break, so that was good. I’ll see her for Thanksgiving,” she concluded.
References:
https://www.today.com/parents/celebrity/kate-hudson-son-college-gwyneth-paltrow-rcna62164
https://www.today.com/parents/reese-witherspoon-cried-when-daughter-ava-left-college-t154471
Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images | Jemal Countess ; (R) Getty Images | Amy Sussman
