Keith Urban offered advice on a marriage-themed song during a recent episode of CBS’s The Road, a segment now viewed in new context following reports of his separation from Nicole Kidman. The episode aired Sunday, November 23, with Urban, 58, guiding contestants before a concert at Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Cain’s Ballroom.
Urban specifically suggested to contestant Jenny Tolman that she elevate the note in her song, "Married in a Honky Tonk." Tolman accepted the advice, though she was ultimately eliminated at the end of the episode.
Crucially, The Road was recorded before Us Weekly confirmed in September that Urban and Kidman, 58, had separated. Their marriage spanned 19 years.
Urban had previously spoken candidly on the show about the demanding and often solitary nature of life on tour. He described it as a calling, acknowledging the moments of profound difficulty.
"When you wake up on a tour bus at 3:30 AM and you’re sick, in the middle of nowhere, and you’ve got to do your fifth show that night, and you haven’t slept, and you miss your friends, and you miss your family, and you feel completely lonely, miserable, and sick, and you question yourself: ‘Why am I doing this?’" Urban stated. He concluded that the only answer is: "Because this is what I was born to do."
He also emphasized the significant discipline required to maintain a music career. Urban cited his rigorous schedule, noting a late-night return from a Las Vegas show before filming and then immediately departing for another performance.
Urban and Kidman first met in 2005, following the actress’s divorce from Tom Cruise, 63. They married in Australia a year later. The couple expanded their family with daughter Sunday Rose in 2008, and Faith in 2010 via surrogacy. Kidman is also mother to Isabella and Connor, adopted with Cruise.
The Road features 12 emerging musicians competing to become an opening act for Urban’s U.S. tour. Contestants advance based on audience reaction at their concerts. Blake Shelton also appears, alongside Gretchen Wilson as a tour manager, and executive producer Taylor Sheridan, who advised the remaining group this season.
The Road airs Sundays at 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount+.