Nearly two years after losing her beloved mother, Nicole Kidman is channeling her grief into a deeply personal new calling. The Oscar-winning actress revealed she is learning to become a death doula—a compassionate caregiver who provides comfort and support to those at the end of life. For anyone who has ever sat beside a loved one during their final days, Kidman’s journey speaks to the kind of heartache that changes you from the inside out.
What Is a Death Doula? Plus Why Nicole Kidman, 58, Is Training To Be One
Nicole Kidman’s emotional revelation about her death doula training
Kidman, 58, shared her plans during an appearance at the University of San Francisco’s War Memorial Gym on Saturday, April 11, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The actress opened up about how watching her mother’s final days revealed a need she hadn’t expected—and one she now feels called to help fill.
“As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide,” Kidman said at the event.
Her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, died in September 2024 at age 84. Kidman acknowledged the idea might sound “a little weird” to some but explained why it matters so deeply to her.
“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,'” she explained. “So that’s part of my expansion and one of the things I will be learning.”
What Nicole Kidman’s death doula path actually means
So what exactly is a death doula? If you’ve never heard the term, you’re not alone. According to the International End-of-Life Doula Association, “An end-of-life doula advocates self-determination and imparts psychosocial, emotional, spiritual and practical care to empower dignity throughout the dying process.”
For Kidman, the desire to pursue this path grew out of her family’s struggle to provide the around-the-clock presence and emotional support her mother needed during her final days. With both Kidman and her sister balancing children and careers, the weight of caregiving revealed a gap that deeply affected the actress. It’s a tension so many women know firsthand—wanting to give everything to a parent who needs you while the rest of life keeps demanding your attention.
Nicole Kidman’s devastating loss at the Venice Film Festival
Kidman had previously lost her father in 2014. A decade later, she learned of her mother’s death while attending the 2024 Venice Film Festival. Babygirl director Halina Reijn shared a statement on Kidman’s behalf at the event.
“Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,” the statement read. “I am 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.”
The statement continued: “I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina, the collision of life and art is heart-breaking, and my heart is broken.”
Kidman had traveled to Venice for professional commitments, only to receive the devastating news shortly after arriving—a stark reminder of how grief can arrive without warning, even in the most public of settings.
Nicole Kidman’s years of caregiving for her mother
Long before her mother’s passing, Kidman spoke candidly about the family’s caregiving efforts. In January 2022, she offered a glimpse into that journey on NPR’s “Fresh Air” podcast.
“We’re down here [in Australia] primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,” she said. “So luckily, last—yesterday, even though [Covid strain] Omicron is raging through this country, we were able to take her into the gallery after hours and show her the Matisse exhibit, which, coming from a mother who’s raised me in the arts was very, very—it was soothing balm.”
That image—of a family navigating a pandemic to bring a mother to see Matisse after hours—speaks volumes about the love and determination behind their caregiving.
Nicole Kidman honors her parents and looks ahead with purpose
In March 2025, Kidman paid tribute to her mom on what would have been her 85th birthday. “Missing Mumma and Papa so much on what would have been her birthday today,” she wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of her parents smiling together.
In a separate post shared last month, she wrote, “Remembering my Mumma on her birthday. Always in my heart.”
Kidman’s openness about her grief—and her decision to channel that experience into learning about end-of-life care—offers something meaningful for anyone who has walked this road. Her willingness to discuss the loneliness her mother faced and the limitations even a loving family encounters when caring for a dying parent touches on an experience familiar to so many. By pursuing training as a death doula, she has shown that the lessons from her mother’s final days left a lasting mark, one she hopes to carry forward in a deeply personal way.
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