With the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics winding up Sunday night (Feb. 22) in a glitzy closing ceremony at the Arena di Verona featuring Diplo’s Major Lazer performing their Billboard Hot 100 No. 4 hit “Lean On,” it was time to look ahead to the next games.
And who better to get Olympics fanatics geared up for the upcoming 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles than quintessential California dreamer Kate Hudson? The Song Sung Blue co-star helped to end the closing ceremony broadcast by setting up the L.A. Games with a performance of The Mamas & the Papas’ iconic 1966 Billboard Hot 100 No. 4 hit “California Dreamin’.”
Hudson, who released her full-length debut studio album in 2024, Glorious, appears in the brief clip singing the signature lines, “All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray/ I’ve been for a walk on a winter’s day/ I’d be safe and warm if I was in L.A./ California dreamin’ on such a winter’s day.” As the wind whips her blonde hair, Hudson’s face fades as we see a series of random images of Angelenos making their way across the city and its beaches, before pivoting to athletes carrying their gear (swimming caps, surfboards, volleyballs, basketballs).
Cue the footage of skaters and BMXers pulling off tricks, fencers lunging forward, a Paralympic athlete sprinting on blades, as well as a tease of some of the new events slated for LA 28, including flag football. Among the athletic stars who are expected to prominently feature in the L.A. Games coverage who pop up in the spot are BMX rider Perris Benegas, hurdler Rai Benjamin, gymnast Jordan Chiles, skateboarder Jagger Eaton and beach volleyball player Megan Kraft, among others.
Other athletes who make cameos in the spot are: Jack Alexy (swimmer), Kelly Cheng (volleyball), Jajaira Gonzalez (boxer), Jamal Hill (swimming), Nick Itkin (fencing), Blake Leeper (sprinting), Caroline Marks (surfing), Helen Maroulis (wrestling), and Curtis Thompson (javelin).
“As the world gathers in Milan to close one Olympic chapter, LA28 Dreamin’ opens the door to what’s next,” said Jenny Storms, chief marketing officer for NBCUniversal Television & Streaming in a statement. “With Kate Hudson at its center, this piece captures the spirit and unmistakable energy of Los Angeles — a love letter to the city and a powerful invitation to dream ahead to the Summer Games in 2028.”
As the horn-spiked arrangement thunders to a close we see a drone shot of L.A. Memorial Coliseum, which will play a prominent part in the next Summer Games. The caption on Hudson’s video reads: “Built on California dreams, powered by Olympic and Paralympic champions #LA28.”
