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Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman was not at the 76th Emmy Awards on Sunday night, but she had an understandable reason to sit out the ceremony. The star was not nominated for any awards at this year’s event, despite her recent roles in Expats and The Perfect Couple (which was not released during the eligibility period). Kidman may have still attended, but the actress announced in early September that her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, had suddenly passed away.
The news was shared by director Halina Rejn at this year’s Venice Film Festival. Rejn directed Kidman in Babygirl and accepted Kidman’s win for Best Actress at the festival on her behalf.
“Today, I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,” her statement read. “I am in shock and I have to go to my family.”
The statement continued, “But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I’m beyond grateful that I that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”
In January, Kidman told NPR that she had moved back to Australia with husband Keith Urban to help her mom.
“We’re down here primarily to take care of my mother, and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,” she explained.
She continued, “I’m at the place where I’m being given the chance to view the world—because of how close we are, my mom is giving me the chance to view the world through an 81-year-old woman’s eyes. That is so beneficial right now because she’s so cognizant. She has every faculty, brain faculty, available. She hasn’t lost anything. She hasn’t lost any memory, which is fascinating.”
Though Kidman could not be present at the Emmys, she still came up during a segment where Only Murders in the Building costars Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin joked warmly about her prolific career.
Short and Gomez started by laughing about having a wonderful evening at the Emmys trying to “remember people’s names” and “pretending that we’ve seen their shows.”
Martin added, “And when I see an actor I don’t know, I just say, ‘I loved your scene with Nicole Kidman.’ And nine times out of ten, I’m right!”
Even when she’s not there, she’s on everyone’s minds—and in their scenes.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.