Nicole Kidman Opens Up About the Moment That Shattered Her Life — Learning Her Mother Was Gone

Nicole Kidman says she learned her mother Janelle had died moments before stepping onstage to accept an award at the Venice International Film Festival — a shattering memory she recounts in a new Variety interview.

Nicole Kidman just shared one of those stories that makes your stomach drop: she learned her mother had died right before she was supposed to walk onstage in Venice and accept a best actress prize for Babygirl. Brutal timing. She talked through it this weekend and filled in what actually happened behind the scenes.

The moment in Venice

Speaking to Variety on Saturday, April 18, Nicole, 58, said she was backstage at the Venice International Film Festival, minutes away from collecting the award, when the call came through about her mother, Janelle.

"I was about to go out on stage, and I found out that my mother had passed."

She left the stage area, went straight back to her room, and tried to process it. As she put it, she was completely shattered and thinking: how do I even function now? Her mom, she said, was woven into every part of her life.

The night that followed

Nicole tried to get out of Venice immediately. Picture this: middle of the night, climbing into a boat on the canal, trying to make it to the airport, then realizing she could not do it and turning around. She went back to bed, alone. Her husband and kids were not with her. And here is the sting she pointed out: this was supposed to be a beautiful night. Instead, it was a full-on collision of celebration and loss.

How it unfolded

• September 2024: After getting the news during the festival, Nicole left Venice early to return home to Australia.
• At a Venice panel for Babygirl, director Halina Reijn, 50, read a statement on Nicole's behalf confirming that Janelle Ann Kidman had died. Nicole dedicated the award to her mother, calling her the person who shaped, guided, and essentially made her who she is.
• In that message, Nicole also said she was in shock and thanked everyone for letting her name her mother in that space. She summed up the feeling with this line:

  "the collision of life and art is heart-breaking, and my heart is broken."

• Less than a week later, Nicole and her sister Antonia, 55, posted a joint Instagram note thanking friends and fans for the wave of kindness and support, and asked for privacy while the family looked after each other.

Family context

At the time, Nicole was married to Keith Urban. They share two daughters: Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14. Nicole and Urban finalized their divorce in January. On that night in Venice, though, she was by herself.

Where this leaves her

It is a stark, human snapshot: a career high slamming into the worst kind of news. Nicole has talked before about missing her parents; this time, it was the shock of the moment and the lonely logistics of trying to leave a festival in the dark that underline just how messy and unfair real life can be, even when the cameras are trained on you.