Keith Urban, 58, was heavily mocked online for the outfit he wore to the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards—coming less than two weeks after Nicole Kidman, his ex-wife of 19 years, drew major fashion praise at the 2026 Met Gala.
Keith Urban walked the red carpet at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards looking anything but like the polished style many fans associate with his years alongside Nicole Kidman.
Instead. the Blue Ain’t Your Color crooner. 58. turned up in a faded navy T-shirt with a loose scooped neckline under a light gray blazer with rolled-up sleeves. He paired it with baggy white cargo pants and chunky skate-style sneakers. added a clunky bracelet. and walked the carpet solo—looking “forlorn” and barely cracking a smile. a sharp contrast to his earlier. brighter expressions as part of the celebrity power couple who’d been together for 19 years.
Online, the reaction was immediate and brutal. On X. one user said. “Keith Urban looks like he runs a bed-and-breakfast with his partner in Vermont. ” while another wrote. “If he isn’t a vagabond. he’s vagabond adjacent.” More piled on with fashion-driven jabs—“He lost Nicole’s stylist. ” “Looks so frumpy. ” and even a pointed laugh at the youth-inspired mix: “Hahahahah. he looks like he owns a kiosk at the mall. Love his ‘I wanna be young’ bracelet and ‘kicks.’”.
A separate wave tied the critique directly to the breakup. Since the pair’s September 2025 split. which was finalized in January. fans have joked the Oscar winner must have gotten their stylist “in the divorce settlement.” One commenter even blamed the same look habits. writing. “Nicole definitely had a glow-up. and Keith still has that same stupid haircut. ” while another went so far as to dub his shoe choice “ugly as f—k.”.
The timing has only fed the comparison. Kidman. 2026 Met Gala co-chair and a frequent fashion headline maker. was widely praised for her look at the fashion event less than two weeks earlier. She served as one of the official co-chairs for “Fashion Is Art” and stepped onto the Metropolitan Museum of Art steps in a figure-hugging ruby red Chanel sequined dress with feathered cuffs—named among the night’s “best dressed” picks.
Kidman described the inspiration behind the choice before she walked: “I wanted something red as I wanted to embrace the way red has been embraced by art. ” referring to the theme. “Fashion Is Art.” She also said red is a “strong symbol of passionate love. vitality. and power. ” and the post-divorce glow was hard to miss in the coverage of the evening.
That same night, Kidman brought her eldest daughter, Sunday Rose, as her date. The mother-daughter duo had a “stylish night out.” Sunday, 17, dazzled in a custom Dior lavender gown with floral appliqués, while Kidman introduced her as “my springtime blossoming girl.”
The family dynamics have remained raw since the divorce became official. Both Sunday and her sister, Faith Margaret, 14, have stayed incredibly close to their mother since the split. The girls primarily live with Kidman, while Urban gets time with them every other weekend.
An insider described how the sisters have been processing the breakup, saying in late April, “(The girls) are completely team Nicole and, right now, Keith is the bad guy.” The insider added: “He is the cause of every problem in their minds, and it’s harrowing for him.”
“He’s really distraught about it,” the source continued. “He loves those girls, but they are so angry at him, and they’re blaming him. I don’t even think this is Nicole painting a narrative; this is the girls coming to this conclusion on their own.”
For Urban, the outfit at the ACMs has landed in a moment already loaded with attention—turning a single look into a kind of snapshot of a public transition, and giving fans a new, unforgiving comparison point as Kidman’s style momentum continues to dominate headlines.
Keith Urban Nicole Kidman ACMs 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards Met Gala 2026 fashion X reactions divorce finalized in January Sunday Rose Faith Margaret red carpet