If revenge is best served cold, Nicole Kidman is serving it sizzling hot.
Just two months after her shocking split from Keith Urban, the 58-year-old Oscar-winning star has reminded Hollywood who’s boss—by landing one of fashion’s most coveted roles. Kidman will co-chair the 2026 Met Gala alongside Anna Wintour, Beyoncé, and Venus Williams—a lineup that screams power, prestige, and pure star wattage.
But behind that dazzling red-carpet smile, insiders say Kidman is still healing from heartbreak. In a recent interview, the Moulin Rouge! and Bombshell star spoke cryptically about “painful times” and feeling “broken,” though she avoided mentioning Urban by name. Sources close to the actress tell Variety that the end of her 19-year marriage left her blindsided and shattered.
“Nicole never saw it coming,” says one insider. “She thought Keith was her forever. She built her whole world around that marriage—and when it fell apart, she fell apart too.” Even now, friends say she would have taken him back “in a heartbeat” if he’d wanted to reconcile. But Urban, 58, appears to have moved on—and that harsh truth has forced Nicole to find her own path forward.
According to sources, Kidman’s close friends are encouraging her to “reclaim her spark” by having a steamy fling—with a younger man. “There’s a real trend in her circle,” says one insider. “Successful, powerful women dating younger guys—it’s practically a Hollywood ritual now. Her friends think it’s exactly what she needs to feel alive again.”
And one name keeps coming up: Zac Efron. The two co-star in the upcoming Netflix rom-com A Family Affair, where Kidman plays a woman who falls into a passionate affair with her daughter’s boss—played by Efron. The chemistry between them reportedly lit up the set. “When they worked together before, Nicole was married and totally professional,” the insider shares. “But now she’s single, and people around her are saying she should see Zac in a whole new light. He’s gorgeous, kind, and honestly—he adores her.”
Kidman was even said to be playing matchmaker for Efron during filming, but now her friends are joking she should stop setting him up and “go for it herself.” Sources who were on set say Efron, 38, was “flirty and fascinated” by Kidman during production. The pair first worked together in 2012’s The Paperboy, and reuniting over a decade later rekindled their connection. “They just click,” a production insider reveals. “Zac’s incredibly respectful, but you could see there was electricity between them. Even when cameras stopped rolling, they had that spark.”
And while Kidman has been cautious about her next move, Efron—who’s been single since 2021—is described as the perfect safe bet: discreet, mature, and undeniably attractive. “Nicole’s not looking for another big public relationship,” says the source. “She just wants fun, trust, and someone who makes her feel beautiful again. Zac checks all those boxes.”
Urban, for his part, isn’t exactly laying low. He’s been linked to two 25-year-old musicians from his tour, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed in Kidman’s circle. “If Nicole did end up dating Zac, it would be poetic justice,” a source admits. “When she filmed with Zac years ago, Keith was insanely jealous. If they actually got together now—it’d be Keith’s worst nightmare.”
As one insider put it bluntly: “Nicole’s done crying. Now it’s time for her comeback—and maybe a little sweet revenge.”
