The “Madison” star tells EW that he and Hawn “didn’t tell anybody” at the event about their new banter before doing it onstage.

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn came up with their iconic 1989 Oscars proposal bit in the shower: ‘People thought it was real’

The "Madison" star tells EW that he and Hawn "didn't tell anybody" at the event about their new banter before doing it onstage.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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March 15, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET

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Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell presenting at the 61st Annual Academy Awards in 1989. Credit:

Kurt Russell is looking back at his iconic near-proposal to longtime partner Goldie Hawn at the 1989 Oscars. **

The *Madison* star tells ** that he and Hawn came up with their legendary bit — which saw Russell *almost* propose to the actress live on national television — while they were showering together while getting ready for the ceremony. **

“We had the routine that we were given to do and it was terrible. So we said, ‘Well, we got to do something else,’” Russell explains. “We were taking a shower together, getting ready to go to the Academy Awards and be in front of a billion and a half people, and I said, ‘This [routine] is awful. We got to do something.’”

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn attend the 61st Annual Academy Awards in 1989.

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

So, they scrapped the original plan and started brainstorming. “Goldie and I worked that routine out in the shower and we just didn't tell anybody and we just went on,” Russell recalls. “Here came the prompters up with the stuff, and we didn't bother looking at it. We just did our thing.” **

While presenting the award for Best Directing at the event, Hawn began by telling Russell that they “fit in completely to the theme of the show” because “we’re costars, we’re compadres, we’re companions, and we’re a couple!” **

“Yeah, there’s only one thing we’re not… married,” Russell said. Hawn, in response, burst into a fit of nervous giggles before asking, “Is that a proposal?” **

A laughing Russell took a step back from the podium as the room filled with loud cheers and applause over their potential engagement. “You’re putting me on the spot! I guess now’s a good a time as any to answer that,” he began, before his attention was seemingly diverted backstage. “Oh, they want us to speed things up. Listen, we’ll talk about it later tonight, okay?” **

As Russell launched into a spiel about directing, Hawn appeared visibly stunned by the segue before laughing and telling him, “We *will* talk about that later.”

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To this day, Russell still appears surprised by how many people genuinely believed that he was really going to pop the question onstage.

“People thought it was real! That was the weird part.… I thought it was a testament to our abilities,” he jokes. “There's a tape that has the ’50 Greatest Moments in Academy Award Presentations’ or something, and it's one of those.”

He continues, “And it's still looked at as something that was real. It was completely made up. Goldie and I worked it out in the shower 20 minutes before we left to go to the Academy Awards.”

There were, however, *some* people who knew that the couple were bluffing: their families. “They all knew we were just goofing,” he says. “I mean, if you look at it again, you can see that we’re goofing.”**

Still, he lightheartedly admits, “When Goldie looks at the audience...it was a little too real, I guess.”

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn attend the 61st Annual Academy Awards in 1989.

Barry King/WireImage

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.******* It might not be a proposal, but Russell and Hawn have plenty to celebrate when it comes to this year’s Oscars. Hawn’s daughter Kate Hudson, whom Russell helped raise, is nominated for Best Actress for her performance in the Neil-Diamond-infused film, *Song Sung Blue*. **

This is Hudson’s second nomination, having previously been in the running for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s love letter to music journalism, *Almost Famous*.

The 2026 Oscars air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Academy”