Hudson, a nominee for Song Sung Blue, shimmered in a silver gown. Other stars, including One Battle After Another actor Teyana Taylor, chose traditional black.
One Battle leads the pack of movie nominees at the traditionally champagne-fuelled ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
The dark comedy tells the story of a washed-up revolutionary who springs into action when his daughter's life is in danger.
Co-stars Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti and Taylor were nominated alongside lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Elle Fanning, nominated for Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value, said she was looking forward to reuniting at the Globes with her co-stars, including Stellan Skarsgard.
"It's a really special thing to get to celebrate it all together," she said on the red carpet.
Comedian Nikki Glaser will return for a second stint as host of the awards show.
Glaser said Hollywood's A-list does not need to fear her monologue. Past Globes hosts have lobbed biting jokes at many of the stars in attendance.
"They shouldn't be worried because I really have made this set so that it doesn't ruin anyone's night," she said. "I don't think I'm going to have to avoid anyone at the after-party."
Australian Rose Byrne is the favourite in the best actress, comedy or musical category for her performance in the indie comedy-drama If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
Fellow Australian Jacob Elordi is up for his performances in Frankenstein and miniseries The Narrow Road to the Deep North while Sarah Snook could take home her third Globe for her series All Her Fault.
Joel Edgerton has also been nominated for best male actor for Train Dreams.
This year the presenters feature a mix of Hollywood A-listers like George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Queen Latifah, along with rising stars like the leads from Heated Rivalry, Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams.
For presenters, avoiding politics might be hard in the award show's first ceremony during US President Donald Trump's second term.
The fatal shooting of 37-year-old mother Renee Good in Minneapolis by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be on the minds of many attendees.
Some celebrities, including Mark Ruffalo and Wanda Sykes, donned anti-ICE pins displaying slogans like "BE GOOD" and "ICE OUT".
While the Globes' TV drama and comedy categories have massive overlap with the 2025 Emmys, the limited series group is full of new blood.
Recent buzzy series All Her Fault, The Beast in Me and The Girlfriend have all been nominated for best limited series and the honour of probably losing to Adolescence.
The Golden Globes in 2026 introduced the best podcast category, and the nominees represent a mix of news and celebrity conversations all the while avoiding political controversy.
Up for the inaugural award include Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy and The Mel Robbins Podcast.
The nominations seemingly avoided controversy by passing on popular conservative-leaning podcasts from the shortlist, such as The Joe Rogan Experience, which topped all major podcast platforms in 2025, and The Megyn Kelly Show, The Tucker Carlson Show, The Ben Shapiro Show and Candace Owens' Candace.
Also axed from the nominees: the left-leaning Pod Save America, and popular true-crime podcasts Morbid and Rotten Mango.
With Reuters
