Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban Divorce: Babygirl Star Faces Fury For Allegedly Snubbing Adopted Children

Nicole Kidman has faced a wave of criticism after posting a Mother's Day tribute from her US home this month, with some online commenters accusing the Babygirl star of overlooking her two adopted children while she reportedly deals with the breakdown of her marriage to Keith Urban and the recent death of her mother.

The backlash followed reports of a fragile but hopeful shift in Kidman's family life. The 57 year old actress, whose reported split from country singer Keith Urban is said to have brought their 20 year marriage to an end, had allegedly reconnected with her eldest children, Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30, whom she adopted during her marriage to Tom Cruise. That apparent thaw was said to have come after the death of Kidman's mother, Janelle, in September 2024, a loss that reportedly deepened her wish to repair old family fractures.

Nicole Kidman Divorce Turmoil Meets Public Backlash

Kidman's private life has long played out in public. Her marriage to Cruise, the adoption of Bella in 1992 and Connor in 1995, and their highly scrutinised 2001 divorce formed the first chapter of a family story that has remained tabloid material for years. When Bella and Connor later chose to live with Cruise and follow Scientology, reports of estrangement from their mother quickly took hold.

Those questions resurfaced this month after Kidman shared a throwback photograph with her two youngest daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, from her marriage to Urban. The original caption read: 'My two girls are everything to me.'

The reaction online was immediate. One follower wrote, 'What about your other 2, just because you don't have a relationship with them doesn't mean you disregard their existence.' Another said, 'Even if the other two kids chose not to be in my life, I'd still acknowledge them.' A third added, 'What about the other 2??? C'mon, Nicole... Full stop!'

For many critics, the caption appeared to reinforce years of speculation that Kidman had prioritised the family she built later over the children from her first marriage. Others urged restraint, pointing to Bella and Connor's long association with Scientology and the religion's troubled record when it comes to relatives outside the faith. Some commenters suggested the pair may simply prefer not to be mentioned publicly.

The post was later edited. The revised caption read: 'To my beautiful girls, the greatest joy is being your mother. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the world,' followed by three heart emojis.

Fragile Reunion With Adopted Children Tested Again

The dispute over one Instagram caption sits awkwardly beside reports of a more meaningful reconciliation behind the scenes. According to Australia's Woman's Day, Bella and Connor sent a joint condolence message after Janelle Kidman's death, which the magazine described as a significant break in a long silence between them.

That contact was later said to have developed further. A source quoted by Closer claimed Kidman had been on good terms with Bella and Connor for several years and that both had quietly supported her during her reported split from Urban. The same source alleged Bella had encouraged her mother to take a firmer position as the marriage deteriorated.

Another claim from the same report suggested Bella and Connor had both taken issue with Urban and believed Kidman's relationship with them could improve further without him in the picture. None of those claims has been publicly confirmed by Kidman, Cruise, Urban or any of their representatives.

What is clear is that there is little public evidence of a close family unit. Kidman has not been photographed with Bella and Connor in nearly two decades. In a 2007 interview, she said: 'My kids don't call me mommy. They call me Nicole, which I hate and tell them off for it.'

She addressed the distance again in 2018, referring to their faith and insisting her love for them had never changed. 'They are able to make their own choices,' she said. 'They have made choices to be Scientologists and, as a mother, it's my job to love them ... no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love, and I'm open here.'

Over the years, reports have painted Bella as warmer towards her mother than Connor. Bella, who lives in London, still uses the surname 'Kidman Cruise' on Instagram and has occasionally interacted with Kidman's posts, although the actress did not attend her wedding in 2015. Connor, by contrast, is widely understood to keep a greater distance and reportedly spends much of his time in Florida within Scientology circles.

Set against that history, the fury over a single caption feels both familiar and revealing. Kidman is publicly navigating bereavement, intense scrutiny over her family ties and reports of a marital breakdown, yet much of the reaction has turned on one line posted to Instagram. The fuller picture remains murky, and many of the most personal claims surrounding her relationships with Bella and Connor rely on unnamed sources in celebrity magazines rather than on-the-record confirmation.