Nicole Kidman's Unexpected Career Pivot Has Everyone Making The Same Tasteless Joke

Nicole Kidman has been going through a lot of changes over the past few months. The "Eyes Wide Shut" star's shock divorce from ex-husband Keith Urban was finalized back in January, and Kidman has stayed winning since then, with the March premiere of her Prime Video series "Scarpetta" — which she both starred in and executive produced — being one of the latest feathers in her cap. And yet, despite Kidman's continued success in Hollywood, she also appears to be gearing up for a career pivot — for a deeply personal reason, no less. Unfortunately, social media being social media has some turning it into joke fodder.

During a recent speaking engagement at the University of San Francisco, the Aussie star revealed that she's on track to become a death doula, which is someone who offers non-medical care to end-of-life patients. In response, users on X, formerly known as Twitter, jumped at the opportunity to reference Kidman's iconic AMC Theatres ad. "'Somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this,' she tells my husband and nods to him as he pulls the plug on me," one such user wrote, quoting a line from the fan-favorite commercial. 

"We make movies better ::pulls plug::," another similarly quipped. A third user posted a gif from the ad itself and joked, "And she's got this expression the whole time." ICYMI, AMC put out a promotional video starring Kidman back in 2021, and it quickly gained traction online due to many finding it strange and overdramatic ("Saturday Night Live" lampooned it in a skit too). However, the post-ironic phase of the meme eventually took hold, with people now embracing it in a way that often blurs the lines between sincerity and sarcasm.

While we love a good meme as much as the next person, there is definitely a time and place, especially since Nicole Kidman's new career aspirations come from a rather personal place. More specifically, according to the "Big Little Lies" star, her interest in becoming a death doula was inspired by her late mother, and the events that led up to her passing about a year and a half ago. During the Oscar winner's appearance at the University of San Francisco, she opened up about the tragic details of that time in Nicole Kidman's life. "As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide," she recalled (via the San Francisco Chronicle). 

The actor explained that she and her sister, Antonia Kidman, are both working mothers with only so much time to spare. "[T]hat'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 continued. "So that's part of my expansion and one of the things I will be learning." Their mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, died in September 2024. The "Moulin Rouge!" star had just arrived at the Venice Film Festival when she got the sad news.

Of course, Nicole ended up departing the event early as a result. That being said, she did provide a statement about her mom for her "Babygirl" director Halina Reijn to read on stage. "She shaped me, she guided me and she made me. I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking. My heart is broken," the Aussie star wrote, per ABC News.