Nicole Kidman recalls moving moment she decided to become a 'death doula'

Nicole Kidman is training to become a death doula while she navigates grief since the loss of her own mother.

The actress, 58, shared the update during a recent talk at the University of San Francisco, explaining that the decision came after the loss of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, in September 2024.

"As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide," Kidman told attendees, via the Chronicle. 

Reflecting on that time, Kidman said her mother often felt lonely in her final days despite being surrounded by family. 

The actress also detailed the moment that really sparked the urge in her to approach the new path despite a glamourous career.

"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.'"

"So that's part of my expansion and one of the things I will be learning," she concluded.

The role, also known as an end-of-life doula, focuses on helping people navigate the dying process with dignity, while also supporting loved ones through the experience.

Kidman has spoken openly about her grief in recent years, following the deaths of both her parents. Her father, Antony Kidman, died in 2014.

The actress learned of her mother’s death while attending the Venice Film Festival, where she had been promoting a project, before leaving early to be with her family.