Keith Urban Faces the Spotlight in a Big Way After Nicole Kidman Split

Keith Urban took center stage on Wednesday at the 59th Annual CMA Awards in Nashville.

The outing marked his first award show performance since his high-profile split from Nicole Kidman.

Urban’s moment came as host Lainey Wilson opened the show with a medley of hits. As the intro ended, Keith showed up for a duet of his 1999 hit “Where the Blacktop Ends.”

Afterward, he introduced Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley as the first presenters of the night. 

In September, news broke that Keith and Nicole had separated after 19 years of marriage. She filed for divorce shortly after.

The following month, Nicole spoke out about moving through the most painful times in life.

Kidman opened up to Bazaar about aging and wisdom, saying, “As I get older, I want to be able to share and impart the things I’ve learned. I’ve seen a lot, I’ve experienced a lot, and I’ve survived a lot. I want to pass on some of that knowledge and that wisdom and whatever I’ve learned.”

She insisted, “I’m not big on telling people what to do, but I’m more than happy to share. Then, people can take tidbits, because we all know you tell somebody to do something, and they’re going to do what they want to do anyway. That’s true, right? So, it’s more about sharing your own experiences, saying this is what I’ve learned, take from it what you will.”

Kidman later added, “The best part is the experiences that you've accumulated. So you go, ‘Oh, I’ve been here before. I actually know how to handle this now.’ Or, ‘Maybe I haven’t been in this place, but I've experienced something similar to this, and I do know that I will get through it.’ There’s something to knowing that no matter how painful, or how difficult, or how devastating something is, there is a way through.”