đ„đ„ âFIVE SECONDS. THATâS ALL IT TOOK FOR THE CMA AWARDS TO EXPLODE.â No one in Bridgestone Arena was ready â not even Lainey Wilson. Her voice had barely settled when the lights snapped off⊠and Keith Urban stepped out of the darkness like a lightning strike. The crowd erupted. The duet hit like wildfire. But the real shock landed after the final chord. Keith lifted his guitar, looked straight ahead, and dropped a line that shattered the entire room â a line that left Nicole Kidman fighting tears right there in the front row. What he said next is being called âthe most gut-punching moment in CMA history.â Watch full moment belowđđđ
Keith Urban has made his return to the awards show stage for the first time since his split from estranged wife Nicole Kidman.
On Wednesday, Nov. 19, Urban, 58, attended the 59th Annual CMA Awards at Nashvilleâs Bridgestone Arena, where he performed his 1999 hit âWhere the Blacktop Endsâ alongside host Lainey Wilson.
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Urbanâs performance came as the finale to Wilsonâs intro, which featured a medley of popular songs from her famous friends in the audience, including Miranda Lambert, Shaboozey and Little Big Town.
The crowd rose to their feet as Urban surprised Wilson, 33, on stage, guitar in hand for the duet. At the end, the âHang Tight Honeyâ singer introduced Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley as the first presenters of the night.
Check out all of PEOPLEâs full CMA Awards coverage here.
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In addition to Urban, the 2025 CMAs will also feature performances by Lambert, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, BigXthaPlug, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Patty Loveless, Megan Moroney, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, and Stephen Wilson Jr.
PEOPLE confirmed on Sept. 29 that Urban and Kidman, 58, had separated over the summer. The following day, the Babygirl star filed for divorce after 19 years of marriage.
After the news of the split broke, Urban performed his first show at Giant Center in Hershey, Penn., as part of his High and Alive World Tour.
During the premiere episode of The Road â which Urban filmed months before news of the split broke â on CBS on Sunday, Oct. 19, the star opened up about the difficulties of life on the road as a touring musician.
âItâs a calling and youâre born to do it â or youâre not gonna make it,â Urban said. âWhen you wake up on a tour bus at 3:30 in the morning and youâre sick as a dog, youâre in the middle of nowhere and youâve got to play your fifth show later that night and you havenât slept and you miss your friends and youâre missing your family and youâre completely lonely and miserable and sick and you say to yourself, âWhy am I doing this?ââ
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He continued, âThe only answer could be, âBecause this is what Iâm born to do.â Weâre going to find out whoâs made of that stuff.â
Most recently, the âBlue Ainât Your Colorâ singer performed at Australian billionaire Anthony Prattâs private party at Donald Trumpâs Mar-a-Lago estate on Nov. 15. He sang Bob Marleyâs âIs This Loveâ and Chappell Roanâs âPink Pony Club,â according to an Instagram post from user @tali.florida.
The 59th Annual CMA Awards broadcast live from Nashvilleâs Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on ABC. The show streams the following day on Hulu