Nicole Kidman reveals surprising career move outside Hollywood after mother's death: 'May sound a little weird'
Nicole Kidman reveals surprising career move outside Hollywood after mother's death: 'May sound a little weird'
Joey NolfiMon, April 13, 2026 at 12:58 PM UTC
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Nicole Kidman at the 2026 OscarsCredit: Arturo Holmes/GettyKey Points -
Nicole Kidman announced that she's exploring a new career offshoot outside of Hollywood.
The Oscar-winning actress told an audience in San Francisco that she wants to become a death doula.
The move was inspired by the death of Kidman's mother Janelle Ann Kidman in September 2024.
Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has opened up about a surprising new career offshoot following the death of her mother in September 2024 — and it has little to do with Hollywood.
The 58-year-old told audience members Saturday during a University of San Francisco presentation with journalist Vicky Nguyen that, in addition to continuing her career as an actress, she's exploring becoming a death doula — someone who assists with end-of-life support — on the side.
Per local news, Kidman admitted that the career move "may sound a little weird" at first, but explained that it has ties to the death of her mom Janelle Ann Kidman, who died nearly two years ago at age 84.
Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis in 'Scarpetta'Credit: Connie Chornuk / Prime
“As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide,” the Scarpetta star told the crowd audience, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
She continued, referencing the 10 grandkids her mother had between the actress and younger sister Antonia Kidman: “Between my sister and I, we have so many children and our careers and our work, and wanting to take care of her because my father wasn’t in the world anymore, and that’s when I went, ‘I wish there was these people in the world that were there to sit impartially and just provide solace and care.'"
Kidman finished, telling the audiences that becoming a death doula is "part of my expansion" and "one of the things I will be learning" in the future.
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Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Kidman for comment.
A death doula is described as a non-medical "companion who provides personalized and compassionate support to individuals, families, and their circles of care as they encounter and navigate death, loss, and mortality," per the official International End-of-Life Doula Association organization website.
Nicole Kidman at the 'Scarpetta' premiereCredit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
In September 2024, the death of Kidman's mother led to the Moulin Rouge! actress missing the Venice International Film Festival awards ceremony, where she won the prestigious Volpi Cup for her performance in the critically lauded film Babygirl.
The film's director, Halina Reijn, took the stage instead, and read a statement from Kidman: "Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after that my beautiful, brave mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, has just passed," Reijn read. "I'm in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me."
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