Keith Urban appeared to extend an olive branch to Nicole Kidman on Saturday, June 20, posting what fans interpreted as a birthday message to his ex-wife on his Instagram Stories as she turned 59.
The gesture came months after the end of one of country music’s most high-profile marriages. Separation reports emerged last September, and court records confirmed that Kidman formally filed for divorce on September 30 in Davidson County Circuit Court in Tennessee, citing irreconcilable differences. The split, after 19 years of marriage, caught many fans off guard given how openly affectionate the pair had been throughout their time together — frequently appearing on red carpets and championing each other’s work in the public eye.
A Relationship That Began in 2005
Urban and Kidman first crossed paths in January 2005 at the G’Day LA event, a celebration honoring Australia. They began dating roughly six months later and married on June 25, 2006, in Sydney, Australia. Over the years, Urban has spoken publicly about how Kidman played a significant role in supporting his sobriety. The couple share two daughters — Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14. According to reporting by The Tennessean, Kidman was granted primary custody, with the girls scheduled to spend 306 days per year with their mother and 59 with Urban.
A Low-Key Birthday Acknowledgment
Despite keeping largely out of the public eye since the divorce filing became known, Urban broke from that silence in a quietly notable way. On his Instagram Stories, he wrote “happy birthday nicole mary” in all lowercase — a message widely read as directed at his former wife, whose full name is Nicole Mary Kidman. The post was brief and understated, but given the circumstances, it signaled that the two have maintained at least a cordial relationship following the split.
With the divorce proceedings still a matter of public record and two daughters at the center of the family’s new arrangement, how Urban and Kidman navigate their co-parenting dynamic will continue to draw attention from fans on both sides of their respective careers.
