Kate Hudson’s Oscar nomination torched as an ‘abomination’ amid toxic family feud over Song Sung Blue

Kate Hudson’s Oscar nomination for Song Sung Blue has elicited a furious response from the son of the man Hugh Jackman played in the film.

Jackman, 57, and Hudson, 46, led the cast as real-life husband and wife, Mike and Claire Sardina, Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond impersonators from the 1990s who formed a band called Lightning and Thunder. 

Last month the Daily Mail exclusively spoke to the late Mike Sardina’s son from a previous marriage, Mike Jr, who was livid over the movie and denounced its leads as ‘monsters’ for neglecting to make any mention of him on their press tour or in the film itself.

Now Mike Jr has offered his scathing appraisal of Hudson’s work, standing in sharp contrast to the acclamation she has just received from the Oscars.

‘I thought her performance was weak. I have no idea why everyone is kissing her rear over it,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘The story was weak and the acting was not pleasant on the eyes or ears.’

Hudson has been showered with nominations this awards season, but Mike Jr finds the praise for her ‘disgusting’ and regards her Oscar nod as an ‘abomination.’

The Daily Mail has contacted Hudson and Jackman’s representatives for comment. 

He decried Hudson’s performance as having ‘no depth at all,’ adding that he ‘certainly didn’t believe for a second that she was a performer.’

He noted that he felt the ‘same’ about Jackman and Jim Belushi, the latter of whom played the tribute band’s manager Tom D’Amato.

‘Kate and Hugh’s performances are SO off base and it was like watching people who didn’t care trying to play a man who cared for God and others more than anything,’ said Mike Jr. 

‘Kate’s performance was so lax, so uncaring, it’s hard to believe she was trying at all,’ he continued, dismissing her as a ‘terrible actress’ and slating the movie as a ‘travesty’ and a ‘disgrace’ that had left his late father ‘rolling in his grave.’

‘Shame on anyone who is a part of this film and continues to deny my sister and I my father’s legacy which he worked his whole life to achieve and pass on to his son.’

However Mike Jr’s sister Angelina, 40, took a more complimentary view of Hudson’s performance as their stepmother.

‘I think Kate did a great job,’ said Angelina, describing Hudson’s nomination as ‘well-deserved’ and her work in the movie as ‘outstanding.’ 

Angelina felt Hudson ‘definitely’ outshone Jackman, who ‘did okay, but it didn’t feel like my dad. I felt like he was someone playing my dad, but he fell short of the character.’

Last month, Mike Jr claimed his existence was ‘purposely cut out of the film’ and told the Daily Mail he was paid ‘a pathetic $30,000’ to be a ‘consultant’ on the movie.

He is listed as a consultant alongside his sister, Angelina, played on screen by singer-songwriter King Princess, who confirmed she received the same amount of money.

In text messages between Angelina and producer John Fox from September to December 2024, seen by the Daily Mail, Fox confirmed the $30,000 figure.

Fox also acknowledged Angelina’s frustrations about the lack of input, and told her: ‘I totally understand, and I’m sorry, know it’s not the most ideal situation.’ 

The contract signed by Angelina stated that there was no obligation to consult and that she authorized a fictionalized telling of herself and the story.

‘I didn’t have any contact with King Princess, who played me,’ Angelina, who is also from Mike Sr’s previous marriage, told the Daily Mail last month. ‘And I didn’t have any contact with Kate Hudson or Hugh Jackman, anyone from the cast.’

But the Florida native called Jackman and Hudson ‘monsters’ for failing to mention his name on the promotional tour.

Hudson has addressed Mike Jr’s claims, telling the Hollywood Reporter: ‘Honestly, I don’t even know – out of respect for our filmmakers, I’m not the right person to speak to it.’ 

Jackman has, so far, remained silent. 

Upon seeing the film, Mike Jr and his sister Angelina realized how far from their version of reality they believed the movie was, which was acknowledged by Brewer. 

In an October 2025 text message exchange with Angelina, Brewer wrote: ‘I know there’s so much that I didn’t get that was accurate.’

He also told Angelina via text that he was aware that Mike Jr is ‘frustrated,’ writing, ‘I’m just trying to take care of Mike’s kids.

‘And he’s one of them. I’m sure [he’s frustrated] because he didn’t directly help the movie.’

So, with conflicts over the portrayal, what do the siblings believe is true?

‘The only thing that was true is the love between my dad and Claire,’ said Angelina, who has two children and is expecting a third with her wife Erian.

But her brother, for his part, has multiple grievances with how their father is portrayed. 

‘[My father] would thank God every single show, and then he would go on a very short testimony about his journey through recovery,’ he recalled.

‘And if anybody felt like they were alone or maybe they needed help or they needed prayer, [he would tell them], “You come up here after the show and I will sit here and I’ll talk to you.”‘

He also believes that if Jackman had had a conversation with himself or Angelina, he would have known that their father ‘would speak in a very, very slow kind of way’ but also had an excitement in his voice that he would throw into his performances.

But perhaps their biggest issue is what Mike Jr says is the film’s failure to depict the true family dynamic. 

Claire, a previously divorced mom with two children, married Mike in 1994 at the Wisconsin State Fair.

It was his third marriage. In 1999, tragedy struck when she was gardening outside and was struck by a disoriented driver, forcing her to have her leg amputated below the knee.

As a result of the lengthy recovery, Lightning and Thunder stopped performing and Mike made a living as an auto mechanic and handyman. 

But Mike Jr claims the film failed to detail their ‘extremely violent’ household, where there was alleged drug use and sibling rivalry, including between himself and his stepbrother Dayna. Mike Jr also recalled the ‘rough time’ after Claire’s accident.

Mike Sardina died on July 27, 2006, aged 55, of complications from a severe brain bleed following a fall at his home in Milwaukee. He slipped into a coma before passing away at the hospital days later.

While the film portrays his death a bit differently, Angelina insisted that the true story is complicated.

Angelina, who owns her own pet service business, said: ‘I mean, yes, it’s a great story.

‘It’s a beautiful story, but that’s not how it went down. And I guess that’s what’s upsetting because it’s a lie.’ 

But Mike Jr, who claims to have developed an incorruptible AI interface that has yet to be released, is hopeful that a lawsuit against the production company will finally bring to light the true story of their father’s life and he will get ‘vindication’ for him.

‘I want the true story out there and I want it used with truth, with dignity, and I want retribution,’ he said, adding that he would like to see a bonus section be featured at the end of the film. 

‘I want retribution from NBCUniversal [and other parties involved], not just for me, for my father, for me, and for my little sister – my father’s true descendants because they screwed us over,’ he added. 

‘Everybody thinks it’s such a wonderful film, it’s so touching. It’s all lies. And it steals all the hard work that my father put in his entire life so that Claire, Rachel, and Dayna can soak up a massive paycheck.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Claire Sardina, Dayna and Rachel Cartwright as well as Craig Brewer, John Fox, NBCUniversal, Focus Features, Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman for comment.