Keith Urban made a grand return to the small screen at the 2025 Country Music Awards on Wednesday night, weeks after his shock split from Nicole Kidman went public.
The 58-year-old was initially nowhere to be seen as a plethora of stars walked the red carpet at the event in Nashville, prompting chatter that perhaps he chose to skip the event altogether.
But as soon as the ceremony started, Urban popped up on stage with singing sensation Lainey Wilson, performing his 1999 hit Where the Blacktop Ends.
He popped up on stage with Lainey Wilson, performing his 1999 hit “Where the Blacktop Ends.” (Billboard via Getty Images)
The surprise performance came at the end of Lainey’s, which included a medley of songs by her country friends in the audience.
Urban’s performance completely surprised the crowd, who jumped to their feet and applauded when he took the stage.
After he finished his song, he introduced Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley as the first presenters of the night.
He then made another appearance at the end of the show, presenting the final award – the coveted Entertainer of the Year – to Wilson.
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Urban’s performance completely surprised the crowd, who jumped to their feet and applauded when he took the stage. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for CMA)
Urban gave a brief flash of a smile to the crowd as he walked down the aisle, before taking to the microphone to address the room.
“Alright! This is the biggest award of the night, every one of these artists is so deserving, so let’s get right to it – these are the nominees for Entertainer of the Year,” he said with a smile on his face before giving the gong to Wilson.
Watch the video at the top of this article.
The event marks the first time Urban has performed on TV or attended an awards night since he and Kidman split.
He made another appearance at the end of the show, presenting the final award to Wilson. (Getty)
The split was first reported on September 29, with sources claiming the stars had been living apart since the beginning of the Northern Hemisphere summer.
A day later she officially filed for divorce. The papers, which were obtained by several publications, cited the reason for their split as “irreconcilable differences”.
Kidman also asked to be the primary residential parent in the custody agreement as part of their divorce filing, where she will get 306 days with them, while Urban will get 59 days a year.
It’s reported Urban moved out of the family home in Nashville, with Kidman and their daughters remaining.
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“What the sources are saying is that she is doing her best to keep stability while Keith is in a different home,” entertainment reporter Segun Oduolowu said on Today.
Nicole Kidman and Urban are pictured at the CMAs in 2023. (Getty)
The pair’s last joint public appearance was in June, at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup match between Los Angeles Football Club and Esperance de Tunis in Nashville.
Kidman and Urban first met in 2005 at the annual G’Day USA gala in Los Angeles.
The stars were introduced at the gala, and while Urban was given the Oscar winner’s number, it took him several months to get up the courage to call her.
Stan is the exclusive Australian streaming home for the CMA Awards, which is available to stream now from only on Stan.
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