Cindy Williams Had A Little-Known Connection To Kate Hudson

Cindy Williams and Kate Hudson may not be two stars you immediately think of when you think of famous actors with a family connection — but it turns out there's something (or someone) tying these two together that you may never have known.

You may best remember Williams (who sadly died on January 30) for her roles on several throwback sitcoms and movies in the 1970s and 1980s, such as "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," and "American Graffiti." Williams' impressive career spanned decades, with the star's final acting credit being a role in the TV movie "A Dream of Christmas" in 2016. As for Kate, she too has already had an impressive career in Hollywood, making her movie debut in 1998's "Desert Blue" and starring in countless other TV and movie projects since then, including her highly-lauded performance in 2022's "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery."

But how exactly are these two connected and what does Kate's biological father have to do with it? Well, for a little context, you should first know that Kate and her brother Oliver Hudson's mom and dad are Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, who were married from 1976 until 1982. Shortly after that split, Bill moved on and married again... which brings us right to the doorstep of that unexpected connection.

It turns out Cindy Williams and Kate Hudson have quite a family connection. So close in fact that Kate's half-siblings call Williams mom. Still with us? Let us break it down for you. Williams married Kate's biological father, Bill Hudson, in 1982, and the two welcomed two children during their marriage, Emily Hudson the same year as their wedding, and Zachary Hudson in 1986 (via Hollywood Life). That makes Emily and Zachary step-siblings to Kate and Oliver Hudson, and Williams Kate and Oliver's stepmom. Williams' marriage to Bill wasn't built to last though, and the two ended up splitting in 2000, with National Enquirer reporting Williams filed to end their union and cited irreconcilable differences for the reason behind their split. That then made Williams Kate and Oliver's former stepmom.

Williams was clearly close to her and Bill's children, as it was Emily and Zachary who announced the sad news of her death. "The passing of our kind, hilarious mother, Cindy Williams, has brought us insurmountable sadness that could never truly be expressed," the siblings shared in a statement obtained by CNN. "Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege. She was one of a kind, beautiful, generous and possessed a brilliant sense of humor and a glittering spirit that everyone loved."

But while Williams clearly had a close relationship with her biological children, it doesn't appear she enjoyed the same closeness with her stepkids.

Kate Hudson has been pretty open about her estrangement from her dad, Bill Hudson, for years. She has also admitted she doesn't have a relationship with her siblings outside of her brother, Oliver Hudson. That suggests she probably never had a close bond with Cindy Williams. Kate did admit to Oliver on their "Sibling Revelry" podcast in January 2021 that she'd thought a lot about Bill and the siblings they never got to know. "I've been thinking about our sisters that we don't spend any time with and our brother — brothers. We've got four siblings we don't spend any time with," Kate said, adding, "We've been talking so much about sibling relationships and distraught relationships or good relations — and we're sitting here like we have the best family, we're so great and yet we don't ever acknowledge the fact that we have four other siblings."

Kate also opened up about her family dynamics to "Today" in 2021, praising her mom Goldie Hawn's partner, Kurt Russell, for stepping up and being a dad to them. "I have a great family, I have a beautiful mother, I have a stepfather who stepped in and played a huge, huge part in sharing what it is to have a dependable father figure in our life, but it doesn't take away from the fact that we didn't know our dad," she shared.