8 Times Keith Urban's Appearance Caused A Stir

Keith Urban was causing a stir long before he was famous. Everyone in the States adore him for his country ballads, but Urban isn't from around here — he was born in New Zealand and grew up in Australia. After three years in high school, he decided to drop out to pursue a career in music. While this would make most parents' hair stand on end, Urban's likely understood his need to start his career as early as possible. He was already playing in a band which was enjoying moderate success, and his father, a drummer and lover of country music, is the reason Urban became interested in music in the first place. 

Urban left school after completing grade 10, pushed through all the challenges to kickstart his music career, and enjoyed some local success with his band. Clearly not one to sit still, he decided to pack up and move to Nashville in the early '90s to join the American music scene and continue his solo career. Again, he found success, but with it came some pressures that Urban tried to numb with drugs, which landed him in rehab in 1998. He relapsed in 2006, but his now-wife, Nicole Kidman, helped him come out the other end.

Years later, Urban is still as popular as ever, and his whimsical spirit and devil-may-care attitude has delighted fans over the years. Here's a look at some of Urban's most quirky, hilarious, and embarrassing mishaps over the years.

In what was a truly hilarious moment, Keith Urban managed to rip his pants on stage in front of thousands of fans while performing during his Graffiti U World Tour in 2018. Urban came out onto the stage as the crowd went wild, then made an elaborate jump ... and his pants decided it couldn't deal with the pressure. Urban, ever the good sport, continued with his show, ripped pants and all, to the delight of his fans.

He took to Instagram after the show to tell fans that yes, he was indeed aware that he ripped his pants at the start of the show. "Let's get the elephant out of the room right now," he started the video. "First song, I leap off the stage like I do every night ... and I hear this [loud ripping sound]. I'm like, 'Oh, this will be a fun night," he joked. After addressing his ripped pants, Urban thanked his fans for an amazing night.

Fans quickly took to the comments to joke about it some more. "Nice butt anyway," one quipped. "Bahahaha!! The show must go on hey?! Absolutely love the dedication Keith!!" another commented. "I laugh everytime I listen to this story!! You are so real!" another added. "At least your underwear matched your shirt! Would have been alot [sic] worse if you had tighty whities on. Though I still don't think anyone would have minded," another fan joked.

Something you might not know about Keith Urban is that he pretty much wears his heart on his sleeve, and he made hearts melt when he got emotional at the 2018 Country Music Association Awards. Urban had the Entertainer of the Year Award in his sights, but the competition was tough, with Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, and Kenny Chesney all vying for the award. But then came the announcement that Urban was the winner, and as the cameras panned to him and his wife, Nicole Kidman, it was clear that neither of them had expected the win.

"I'm shocked beyond shocked," Urban said in his acceptance speech as he tried to blink back tears (via ABC). His emotions started running high when he broached the topic of his father, and he told the crowd that he wished his dad had been alive to witness his win. "But I think he's watching over me tonight. I am very grateful that I get to do what I do," he said.

Part of the reason Urban got so emotional is probably because his father was the one who first introduced him to music. An avid drummer and country music lover, he nurtured a love for the genre in Urban. The Country Association Music Awards also took place mere weeks after the third anniversary of Urban's father's death, who died in 2015 after battling cancer for several years.

While making an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" in 2015, Nicole Kidman admitted she used to have a crush on Jimmy Fallon. The latter seemed absolutely floored about his almost-relationship with Kidman, which never materialized thanks to the fact that he was blissfully unaware of her affections. Of course, by the time Kidman shared this bit of information with Fallon, she was already happily married to Keith Urban. She made some appearances on Fallon's show in the years that followed, and Urban crashed one of these in 2016, to the delight of fans.

Urban entered onto the stage with his guitar, singing as loud cheers erupted from the crowd, before making his way to Kidman and greeting her with a kiss. She then proceeded to sit on Urban's lap for the remainder of the interview. This is a moment fans still talk about to this day, and many joked that Urban made an appearance to remind Fallon that he has no chance with Kidman.

Fallon and Urban have had a few run-ins since, and the two share a sweet camaraderie. "What's been fun is running into Keith Urban at all these parties and stuff, who's a really good sport," Fallon told Deadline. "I went up to him at the Met Gala and I go, 'Hey, I think we might have dated once?' and he was laughing."

Keith Urban loves to entertain his fans — whether that means completing a performance with ripped pants or hosting an impromptu concert at an airport, and the latter is exactly what he did in March 2024 at Nashville International. Urban took to a makeshift stage for the airport's BNA Live program, a fun initiative aimed at providing live entertainment to unsuspecting passengers, and boy, did they appreciate Urban's appearance. 

Urban used the opportunity to celebrate the release of his new song "Messed Up As Me," and later took to Instagram to commemorate the performance. "From the baggage claim to a REAL STAGE," he wrote. "A massive thank you to everyone at @flynashville for helping us pull off the surprise."

And a successful surprise it was indeed — even the local news network WSMV-TV shared footage of Urban's performance on its platforms. Fans were ecstatic and jumped in the comment section on social media to express their delight at the surprise. "I think I would have simply passed out if I was walking in an airport and saw this. I wish I was lucky enough to have this happen anywhere near me! so cool!" one fan gushed (via Hello!). "It made my layover so worth it! Love your humility!!" another wrote. "Wonder how many people missed their flights because of this lol," another quipped. "I'd miss my flight to watch the whole show without ANY hesitation," one commented.

When Keith Urban performed at the 2024 CMT Music Awards, he made history. This performance was his 20th on the award show — more than any artist in the award ceremony's history has managed to rack up. Fans and news outlets alike praised Urban's rendition of his new single "Straight Line" with many taking to social media to express just how much they enjoyed it. "Woohoo @KeithUrban you blew the rooftop off," one fan wrote on X. "Anything this man sings is amazing!!" another tweeted, adding several fire emojis.

While some couldn't talk enough about Urban's performance, other fans were distracted by the singer's appearance. "What is wrong with Keith Urban? He looks so swollen in the face???" one fan wrote. "Golly. Keith Urban has more makeup on tonight than I wear in a year." another commented. "Keith Urban and the botox," one person noted. "It's the plastic surgery for me," another tweeted. Urban's outfit was another point of contention, and he made our worst dressed list as a result.

Urban has certainly undergone a stunning transformation over the years, but plastic surgery? We can't be sure that he's actually had any work done. It might have been the lighting, the camera angle, or a whole host of other factors causing fans to comment on his appearance. And, of course, if he had any work done, he shouldn't be ridiculed for it.

While Keith Urban has had his fair share of awkward moments, his genuine support of Nicole Kidman at the 2024 Met Gala wasn't one of them. As the couple took to the red carpet, cameras flashing, Urban did something unexpected. He took a step back — literally — to let Kidman have her moment in the spotlight. Kidman insisted on keeping hold of Urban's hand even as he put some distance between them so she could have her moment in front of the cameras.

Fans quickly took to X to gush about the sweet moment. "Get you a man who looks at you the way Keith Urban looks at Nicole Kidman," one commented. "Love the met gala husbands who are famous too but know tonight is about their partner," another wrote. "I do love how Keith Urban always serves 'my job is beach' and 'ken only has a good day when barbie is looking at him' energy at the function," another said. "One thing about Keith he gon [sic] stand and wait for his lady," someone else added.

Urban once told The Sydney Morning Herald that he still had a hard time believing that he managed to woo Nicole Kidman. "I might have a wild imagination of possibilities in life, obviously, but not in a million years did I think that somebody like that would be interested in me. At all," he said.

Keith Urban's Chicago fans were delighted when the singer made an appearance at the NASCAR Street Race in July 2024. He headlined the festival alongside some other performers, but he had one more surprise up his sleeve. When Monday rolled around, Carol's Pub in Chicago announced on its social media channels that none other than Urban was set to perform that very evening. "Tonight, Monday, July 8 Keith Urban is coming to Carol's presented by US99 / Chicago's Country Station," the pub's Facebook announcement read.

Fans were ecstatic, but tickets were very limited because of the small venue, making the performance all the more coveted. "For the 60 people who got tickets congrats and enjoy every min he puts on an amazing show been a fan since 2010 and have seen him a few times but never in this intimate show," one fan commented on the pub's announcement. "Wow. Sold out in less than 30 seconds?!" another wrote. "9:04 and SOLD OUT!!" another reiterated.

Urban shared the news of his surprise performance on X before ticket sales went live. "CHICAGO !! bring your WILDSIDE to @carolspub tonight," he wrote, referencing one of his singles. Fans who weren't in the area expressed their disappointment in the comments. "Lucky Chicago!" one lamented. "If only!" another wrote. "Man, some people got lucky!" another added, while somebody else exclaimed, "Yay for everybody who got in."

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman's daughters are all grown up and embracing their teenage years, and we bet they love Ariana Grande. Why? Because Urban covered Grande's hit "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)" at one of his shows, and we can't help but think his daughters might have had something to do with it. Naturally, the internet had a happy meltdown when Urban performed his rendition of the song. He posted a clip of the performance to Instagram, and it left fans begging for more. "This song is audible heroin @arianagrande," Urban captioned the post. Excitement was high when Urban performed the song, but it reached a fever pitch when Grande commented on the post, writing, "this is so beautiful" with a teary-eyed emoji followed by "thank youuuuu !" 

"MOTHER SAW IT CONGRATULATIONS," an excited fan wrote. "No way I thought I'd ever see Keith perform an ariana song. He killed it," one fan added, with another saying, "Now I need an Ariana and Keith song." Some industry accounts also chimed in, with CMT commenting "my jaw is on the floor!!!" and iHeart Radio adding, "omgggggg."

The video made headlines, with Parade writing, "Fans Convinced Keith Urban's Cover of Ariana Grande Tune Is the 'Song of the Year.'" Some fans were adamant that Keith had to get into the studio to record an official cover of the song, and honestly, we think that's the best idea anyone's had all year.