She rose to prominence with her portrayal of Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe's musical drama Almost Famous (2000), for which she won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and received an Oscar nomination in the same category.

Throughout the 2000s, Hudson starred in a succession of romantic comedies, most notably in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days alongside Matthew McConaughey and Anne Khan (2003), You, Me and Dupree (2006), Fool's Gold (2008), and Bride Wars (2009).

Her other film credits include The Skeleton Key (2005), Nine (2009), Rock the Kasbah (2015), Deepwater Horizon (2016), Mother's Day (2016), Music (2021), and Glass Onion (2022).

[4] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "This power ballad of a movie also happens to be Crowe's greatest (and most personal) film thanks to the golden gods of Stillwater and their biggest fan, Kate Hudson's incomparable Penny Lane.

[4] In 2002, Hudson appeared in the remake of the historical romance The Four Feathers, as the fiancée of a young British officer (played by Heath Ledger).

She also starred opposite Naomi Watts in the Merchant-Ivory film Le Divorce (2003), portraying a woman who, with her sister, dispute the ownership of a painting by Georges de La Tour with the family of her former brother-in-law.

[19] Her next romantic comedies, Alex & Emma (2003), in which she played a stubborn stenographer, and Raising Helen (2004), taking on the role of a young woman who becomes the guardian of her deceased sister's children, were released to varying degrees of success.

In its review, The Washington Post, describing her, wrote: "Hudson, who dials back her native, Goldie-given charm here to give Caroline a no-nonsense brusqueness, manages to convincingly convey a fearless bullheadedness rather than less sympathetic naivete".

[21] Her next film, the comedy You, Me and Dupree, in which she appeared with Owen Wilson and Matt Dillon as one half of a couple who allows an unemployed friend to move in, grossed US$21.5 million on its opening weekend of July 14, 2006.

[23] In 2007, Hudson directed the short film Cutlass, one of Glamour magazine's "Reel Moments" based on readers' personal essays, which starred Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Virginia Madsen, Chevy Chase and Kristen Stewart.

[24] In the romantic comedy Fool's Gold (2008), her second film with Matthew McConaughey, Hudson took on the role a divorced woman who returns with her former husband while searching for a lost treasure.

[26] Hudson starred in Bride Wars (2009),[27] alongside Anne Hathaway, playing two best friends who become rivals after their weddings are scheduled on the same day.

[29] Her next film was the musical Nine, directed by Rob Marshall, in which she played a Vogue fashion journalist, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, and Judi Dench.

The film was acclaimed by critics and Hudson garnered praise for her dancing skills, showcased in a 1960s-inspired original piece called "Cinema Italiano", which was written specifically for her character.

In is review for the latter, Detroit News remarked: "Kate Hudson looks exhausted, as if she is as tired of wading through another one of her feckless duds as we are of watching them".

[32] In 2012, Hudson was cast on the Fox teen comedy series Glee, in the recurring role of Cassandra July, a dance teacher at the fictitious New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts.

In 2014, she starred in the comedy Wish I Was Here, as the wife of a struggling actor, and the thriller Good People, as one half of a couple who fall into severe debt while renovating their family's home.

[36][37][38][39] In Rock the Kasbah (2015), Hudson played a top-hatted hooker with a heart of gold who befriends a has-been actor manager (Bill Murray) in Afghanistan.

[56] Hudson signed a record deal with Virgin Music Group,[57][58] and released her debut single, "Talk About Love" in January 2024.

[77] A podcast, Sibling Revelry, by Kate and her brother Oliver,[78][79] resulted in "playfully bickering" while promoting it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2022.

[102] Hudson sued the British version of National Enquirer in 2006 after it reported she had an eating disorder, describing her as "painfully thin".