The announcement that Keith Urban and Hugh Jackman are sharing a stage for a landmark John Farnham tribute has sent ripples through the entertainment world, arriving amid reports that their respective ex-wives, Nicole Kidman and Deborra-lee Furness, have struck up a firm allegiance of their own.
Keith and Hugh are part of a massive 120-artist line-up set for The Songs of John Farnham: A Living Legend The Celebration Concert, taking place at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, September 20.
The event holds heartbreakingly personal significance for the Aussie music icon. All proceeds will benefit Head and Neck Cancer Australia, a cause close to John’s heart following his gruelling 2022 battle with oral cancer and subsequent jaw reconstruction surgery.
“I’m so excited to be part of this incredible event to honour one of the great Australians,” Hugh said in a video shared on The Hollywood Reporter Australia’s Instagram account. He will be taking part via satellite from Los Angeles.
Keith was equally effusive, saying, “For me, John is just completely peerless as a singer, an entertainer, an artist.”
While the concert features an extraordinary roster – including performances of John’s music by Jessica Mauboy, Jimmy Barnes, and Celine Dion beaming in from Paris – much of the industry’s attention has pivoted to the delicate timing of Keith and Hugh’s collaboratio
In the weeks prior to the concert announcement, reports emerged that Keith’s ex Nicole had been firmly aligning herself with Hugh’s former wife Deb after their respective high-profile splits.
The speculation intensified after Nicole was said to have “snubbed” Hugh and his new girlfriend, Sutton Foster, at the Met Gala in early May.
“She believes Deb was deeply hurt by how everything unfolded, and Nicole isn’t interested in pretending otherwise just because Hugh showed up with a new woman on his arm.”
Nicole’s friendship with Deb spans decades. It’s believed they were pals first, with Nicole becoming friends with Hugh once he and Deb started dating, after starring together in the 1995 TV series Corelli.
Nicole has spoken candidly about just how much Deborra-lee’s support meant to her during one of the most vulnerable periods of her life.
When she first arrived in Hollywood in the early 1990s, it was Deb, the bigger star at the time, who opened her home to the then-unknown young actress.
Later, in the aftermath of her painful divorce from Tom Cruise, Nicole said that Deb and Hugh were “so much part of my healing.”
When Nicole later married Keith, the two couples evolved into an inseparable, celebrated Aussie A-list foursome. But Hugh and Keith also formed their own individual bond.
Keith once called Hugh a “dear friend” while Hugh gushed at the G’Day USA gala, “The man just stands there with a guitar, does that smile, and the entire room melts. It’s actually deeply unfair to the rest of us males in the room who have to work for a living.”
When New Idea reached out to insiders close to the pair, one shared, “Hugh and Keith don’t see each other as much as they once did, but they are still great mates.”
“They both didn’t hesitate to say yes to being part of this special celebration to an Aussie icon.”