What Nicole Kidman’s Divorce Reveals about the Fragile Male Ego

Get it while it’s hot! Not-So Breaking News: Another man in Hollywood could not handle their successful wife having the spotlight. While the news of this divorce might have surprised us all a few years ago, it barely fazes us now. We’ve seen it before time and time again. Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Philippe, Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green and even Shakira and Gerard Piqué. Many of these men have even gone to say they felt “emasculated” by their wives or girlfriends and simply couldn’t handle “seeing them everywhere.”

It is an interesting pattern to dissect. While it seems that women support and encourage their husbands in their flourishing careers, men tend to feel threatened and powerless when their wives succeed past them. Relationships shouldn’t be about competition; they should be a partnership in which both members of the couple feel supported and loved. More importantly, women shouldn’t have to suppress themselves from reaching their business goals or achieving stardom because their husbands won’t feel powerful. 

Most recently, Nicole Kidman has officially filed for divorce from Keith Urban just days after news broke that they’d separated after 19 years of marriage. Reports have already come about stating that Urban has moved on with another woman, despite other sources saying that Kidman did not want the split to happen and wanted to work on their marriage. 

Looking back on the relationship, Kidman always seemed very game, supporting her husband’s successful country music career. They had two daughters and lived a low-key life in Nashville, and have notably been a celebrity couple adored by the public. Especially after Kidman’s very public and very messy divorce from Tom Cruise, it seemed that Keith Urban was the perfect testament to second loves and chances. And because they worked in completely different circles, it seemed as if their egos didn’t collide. 

Now, almost two decades later, their marriage comes undone with Kidman claiming that she has been blindsided and Urban changing the lyrics in a song he wrote about his wife to be about his guitarist. Ew, truly. 

When the news broke, it seemed to be talked about much more than other celebrity breakups. It’s clear that this is about more than just divorce; it’s about the struggle successful women face in relationships, especially those over 50. The story underscores many women’s fears about aging. After all, Kidman herself has recently starred in multiple TV series and films exploring this very theme, such as Babygirl and Big Little Lies.

So, why do we feel sad about this story? We feel sad about this story because we feel sad about how our society misunderstands and devalues women as we age. We feel sad because the men who took a vow to stand by their partners are so easily threatened by their wives’ success. We feel sad because those same men are constantly looking in other places to fix their own insecurities and projections. However, the takeaway from this news should not be sadness and pity. Kidman has bounced back from the announcement by appearing as a united front with her children and even gracing the cover of Vogue at 58 years old. Single or married, she will continue to be one of the most powerful and talented actresses in the world.

Nicole Kidman’s divorce doesn’t reveal any ground-breaking or new revelations; it simply emphasizes that while times do change, some things don’t. The male ego is just as fragile as ever.

What are your thoughts on this celebrity split? Let us know by tagging us @VALLEYmag on X!

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