Nicole Kidman made her last Oscar appearance into history as she prepared to leave Los Angeles on Monday amid claims her ex-husband Tom Cruise boycotted the ceremony for attending.
The Australian actress wore a pink T-shirt and loose-fitting white jeans as she boarded a private jet with country star Keith Urban – her second husband.
The pair were accompanied by a pilot as they transferred their belongings from the back of a car to the plane’s fuselage before finally climbing aboard.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the 55-year-old Kidman made a more glamorous appearance at LA’s Dolby Theater, joining a star-studded guest list at the 95th annual Academy Awards.
As a team of assistants watched awkwardly from the sidelines, the actress was seen sharing a lengthy kiss on the red carpet with Urban, 55, as she posed for photographers outside the venue.
She’s gone: Nicole Kidman penned her last Oscar appearance in history as she prepared to leave Los Angeles aboard a private jet on Monday
In good company: Nicole was joined by country star Keith Urban – her second husband
Smitten: Less than 24 hours earlier, Kidman and Urban looked a bit more glamorous at the 95th Annual Academy Awards
But her obvious rise was overshadowed by the surprise absence of Cruise, Kidman’s ex-husband and Hollywood golden boy after “saving the industry” with the release of the smash hit Top Gun: Maverick.
Cruise’s film – a sequel to the 1987 blockbuster Top Gun – was nominated for six awards, including the coveted Best Picture Award.
But insiders said the actor was not at the ceremony because his ex-wife was there – after their acrimonious divorce more than 20 years ago.
Cruise and Kidman separated in 2001, reportedly due to her refusal to join him in the Church of Scientology.
A source told DailyMail.com, “Tom wasn’t there because she was there, and he didn’t want a confrontation.”
Helping hand: The pair were accompanied by a pilot as they transferred their belongings from the back of a car to the fuselage of the plane before finally climbing aboard
Mind me: but Urban was hard to miss as he idled behind the wheel of their car on Monday
Let’s go: A casually dressed Kidman was seen boarding the plane of their departure from LA
However, sources close to Cruise claimed his absence was “not personal” and was nothing more than scheduling issues, though they didn’t specifically respond to the claim that it was related to Kidman’s presence.
Kidman — who walked the Oscars red carpet with her husband, a country singer, before packing a serious PDA during the show — was notably absent from an Oscars luncheon attended by her ex-Scientologist last month.
Cruise hugged Steven Spielberg over lunch on Feb. 13, when the director could be heard on video telling the action star that Maverick “saved Hollywood’s a**” by bringing audiences back to theaters.
His ex-wife, with whom he shares two children — Connor, 28, and Isabella, 30 — was notably absent from that event.
Close: The actress shared a lengthy kiss on the red carpet with Urban at the Oscars on Sunday
Happier times: Cruise and Kidman (pictured in 1992) divorced in 2001 after 12 years of marriage amid rumors that his dedication to his Scientology drove a wedge between them
Kidman met Cruise in 1990 when the two were cast together in Days of Thunder, a movie about car racing.
She was 23 at the time and, being from Australia, unknown in Hollywood. That all changed when the stars sparked a real romance during filming.
After 12 years of marriage, Cruise left his wife in 2001, leaving her in a state of “utter shock.” He filed for divorce that same year, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
According to reports, the real reason why he abandoned her was her refusal to join the Church of Scientology.
In 2012, Kidman opened up about her painful split with Cruise in an interview with DuJour Magazine.
Success: Top Gun: Maverick revolves around Capt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell thirty years after the original film. In the movie, he was forced to deal with ghosts from his past
Epic ending: A photographer snapped this photo of Nicole leaving her lawyer’s office as her divorce from Tom was finalized in 2001
“I thought our life together was perfect. It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system,” she said.
“We were in a bubble, just the two of us. We became very dependent on each other. I was reeling with Tom,” she told the outlet. “I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him…. I was completely in love – I fell madly, passionately in love.”
Looking back, she told the outlet that she was “naive” to think Cruise was her happily ever after. She also said she was “happier” than she’s “ever been.”
‘I live in a friend’s house in Nice. My two daughters are with me, Sunday Rose, who is four, and Faith Margaret, who is two,” gushed Kidman.
Kidman and Cruise have not interacted in over a decade.
Earlier: Kidman was notably absent from an Oscars luncheon attended by her ex-Scientologist last month (Photo: Tom Cruise at the Los Angeles event)
While Cruise did not attend the 2023 Oscars, producer Jerry Bruckheimer would accept the award if Maverick won the Best Picture award.
The movie with Cruise was nominated for Best Picture along with Elvis, Avatar: The Way of Water, All Quiet on The Western Front and The Fabelmans. Everything, Everywhere All at Once won in the category.
Cruise was not nominated for his performance in the film. Austin Butler was nominated for his role in Elvis, as was Bill Nighy for Living. Brendan Fraser won for his incredible performance in the movie Whale.
Maverick was also nominated for writing (adapted screenplay), film editing, sound, visual effects and music (original song). The only award the film won was for sound.
Kidman was nominated for five Academy Awards in the Best Actress category and nabbed the coveted gold trophy in 2002 for her stellar portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.