Hollywood’s power couples don’t usually handle divorce smoothly.
This is something else altogether.
But Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban took a divorce deal that has legal experts stunned.
The custody arrangement was negotiated months before anyone knew
Nicole Kidman officially filed for divorce from Keith Urban on September 30, ending their 19-year marriage.
But court documents reveal this split was planned far in advance – not the sudden decision it appeared to be.
Urban signed the parenting agreement on August 29, while Kidman signed it on September 6, nearly a month before the public learned of their separation.
The custody arrangement places Kidman as the "primary residential parent" of their daughters Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14.
Under their agreement, the girls will spend 306 days per year with Kidman and just 59 days with Urban.
Urban’s time is limited to every other weekend, starting Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. and ending Sunday evenings at 6 p.m.
The holiday schedule was divided up with precision that suggests months of negotiation.
Kidman gets every Mother’s Day and Easter with the daughters, plus Christmas during odd-numbered years starting this year.
Urban gets every Father’s Day and alternating Thanksgivings, along with Christmas during even-numbered years.
Spring vacation custody alternates by year, with Kidman taking even-numbered years and Urban getting odd-numbered years.
For a country music star who built his career around family themes, seeing his daughters less than two months per year had to be a tough pill to swallow.
The financial arrangements show careful long-term planning
Here’s where this divorce gets really interesting from a legal standpoint.
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Kidman and Urban "acknowledge that, to the best of their knowledge, there are no assets owned by them, either jointly or individually."
That’s almost unheard of for a couple married 19 years.
The reason is that all their properties are held in "trusts, limited liability companies and/or other entities" rather than joint ownership.
Their extensive real estate portfolio – which spans Nashville, Beverly Hills, New York, and Australia – was "awarded to each party in accordance with the terms of such trusts, operating agreements, and other agreements between the parties."
Translation: They figured out who gets what years ago, not during the divorce proceedings.
Neither party will pay alimony, and Urban has already "prepaid all child support obligations" including nanny expenses, private school costs, and extracurricular activities through graduation.
Court documents state that both Urban and Kidman earn more than $100,000 per month, so money isn’t the issue here.
They even worked out the division of credit card points, airline miles, and hotel rewards programs.
Lois Liberman, partner in Blank Rome’s Matrimonial & Family Law Group, told Fox News Digital that since they reached an agreement before filing, "the fact that they filed in Tennessee does not carry any benefits or deficiencies for either party."
Look, this is how you handle a divorce when both parties want out
Legal experts are calling this settlement a masterclass in avoiding courtroom drama.
"It’s one of the cleanest financial settlements we’ve seen from a celebrity couple," estate attorney Gideon Alper told media outlets. "No ongoing payments, no joint assets, and no courtroom battle – just a blueprint for moving on."
The timing tells the real story here.
Reports suggest the couple had been living separately since early summer, with Urban setting up his own residence in Nashville.
Sources close to the situation indicated that Urban was the one who wanted the separation, not Kidman.
But rather than fight it out in public like most celebrity couples, they handled this like adults who wanted to protect their daughters from unnecessary drama.
The agreement includes provisions that neither parent will speak negatively about the other or family members in front of the children.
They’re both required to "encourage each child to continue to love the other parent and be comfortable in both families."
A mandated parenting seminar must be completed within 60 days of filing – another sign they’re prioritizing their kids over any personal grievances.
This isn’t the typical Hollywood divorce where one party tries to take the other to the cleaners.
Both Kidman and Urban keep their separate assets and income streams, with no ongoing financial obligations to each other.
Urban gets to walk away with his millions intact, while Kidman maintains primary custody and her separate fortune.
¹ Fox Business, "Inside Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s divorce: a breakdown of their mansions, assets and millions," Fox Business, October 5, 2025.
