How ‘Distressed’ Nicole Kidman Won Her Custody Battle With ‘Fiery Tempered’ Keith Urban After Not ‘Benefiting’ From Her Divorce With Tom Cruise
Jason Pham
Nicole Kidman won her custody battle with Keith Urban, but it wasn’t easy. Kidman and Urban, who separated in September 2025 after 19 years, finalized their divorce on January 6—just three months after Kidman officially filed.
According to court documents obtained by People, both Kidman and Urban agreed to waive all child and spousal support rights. The documents also revealed that Kidman and Urban’s daughters, Faith and Sunday, will live with Kidman as their primary residence 306 days out of the year. Urban, for his part, was granted 59 days out of the year. He’s allowed to spend every other weekend with his daughters, from 10 a.m. on Saturday morning to 6 p.m. on Sunday evening.
The agreement also claims that Kidman and Urban are required “behave with each other and each child so as to provide a loving, stable, consistent and nurturing relationship with the child even though they are divorced.” The document continues, “They will not speak badly of each other or the members of the family of the other parent. They will encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families.”
After news of Kidman and Urban’s custody agreement, a source told The Daily Mail in a report published on January 7 that Kidman had to fight to get primary custody of her children. “The one thing that became a sticking point was custody of Sunday and Faith,” the insider said. “Keith was initially asking for equal time with their daughters.”
The source continued, “It was an especially stressful time for Nic,” the source explained. “After almost 20 years of marriage, she certainly knows how stubborn Keith can be. She was anxious and distressed that he wasn’t going to budge.”
A second source told The Daily Mail that Kidman was adamant on getting primary custody of her daughters after losing her custody battle with her first husband, Tom Cruise, whom she was married to from 1990 to 2001. Cruise and Kidman shared two adopted children, daughter Bella and son Connor. “She wasn’t given that benefit when she divorced Tom Cruise,” the insider said.
In the end, however, the source noted that Urban agreed to give Kidman primary custody due to his less-flexible schedule as a result of his tour. “Keith has a bunch of tour dates coming up, and his schedule is a little less flexible than Nicole’s,” the insider said, adding that it “took a lot of wearing down” for Urban to agree to Kidman’s terms. “She enjoys being a homebody when she isn’t on set. And if need be, her kids can be on set with her on a more consistent basis. That is a much better atmosphere than backstage at a concert.”
The source continued, “Their daughters are both in their teens and need their mother more than their father at these ages. Keith knew he’d never win the battle in court and finally backed down. That’s when the divorce was settled.”
A source close to Kidman, however, denied that custody was ever a “sticking point” between the actress and Urban. “Nicole and Keith mutually agreed to and signed a document confirming the custody arrangement,” the insider told Page Six.
Kidman and Urban’s custody agreement comes after a source told New Idea that Urban is struggling with the change in family dynamics, after his daughters spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, Faith’s birthday, and New Year’s with Kidman. The insider claimed that missing Faith’s birthday, especially, was “heartbreaking for Keith” and felt “like a gut punch.” The source added that the singer feels “completely lost” and “doesn’t know where home is anymore.”
