Celebrity divorces happen all the time, but it was still a surprise to the public when Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban called it quits last month. If fans had been really paying attention, perhaps we’d have seen it coming, as Keith Urban shut down a conversation with Ryan Seacrest and the couple was seen together less in the months leading to the announcement, not to mention those awkward Babygirl quotes. Now, an insider says that for those in the know it hadn’t “been a secret.”
In fact, Keith Urban reportedly took the first step toward divorce a while back. The insider opened up about how Urban had been away for most of summer 2025 touring, and then he got a new place. That insider also believes the new place was the biggest factor that proved the ship was not going to right itself, telling People:
Their lives were moving in different directions, and once he quietly set up his own place, it felt like the writing was on the wall.
Another insider echoed this idea, saying that those in the know felt like it was coming, even though Kidman was reportedly “dreading” the split.
It really hasn’t been a secret in their circles that Keith and Nicole have been living separately for a while now. People close to Keith felt like the split was kind of inevitable.
Perhaps most interesting, however, is the fact that Kidman allegedly “didn’t want” the split and had been said to be “fighting” for her marriage. Ultimately, when news of the divorce broke, it was the Big Little Lies actress who filed first, but if these reports hold true, the decision may not have ultimately been her first choice.
Kidman did seem to nod at the direction her life was going in during an interview that happened before the split but that was made public only after the news broke. She seemingly referenced what was next in a cryptic comment about being in her ‘50s, telling Vogue she was still learning lessons about the unexpected directions life goes in.
Meanwhile, the split seems to have been fairly copacetic. Despite rumors about a “cocaine clause,” the filing seems to indicate both parties were prepared to split joint assets — including even things like airline miles — and would otherwise leave the marriage with what they brought in. They are also responsible for their “own debts,” and Urban covered child-related expenses when he exited the marriage.
They currently share two teenaged daughters and had worked out a custody agreement for their caretaking by early September, as filed documents showed. Kidman will take on the lion’s share of time with the girls for 306 days of the year, while Urban plans to see them 59 days a year. They will all remain in Nashville for the time being, and Given Urban’s intense tour schedule, and the fact the girls are older, this isn’t a super shocking outcome.
But the split itself? Some fans will probably be reeling for years.