Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban Headed for Gray Divorce

Veteran actress Nicole Kidman, 58, has filed for divorce from country star Keith Urban, 57, according to People.

Married for 19 years, the couple joins a growing trend of older adults seeking divorce from their long-term partners.

Other recent high-profile splits include Hugh Jackman, 56, and Deborra-lee Furness, 69, who were married for nearly 30 years, and Meryl Streep, 76, who was with Don Gummer, 78, from 1978 to 2018.

More than 1 in 3 people who divorce in the U.S. are over 50 — a trend known as gray divorce — according to research published in 2022 in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B. And a 2023 study of divorce trends from 1990 to 2021, published by Bowling Green State University’s National Center for Family & Marriage Research, revealed that divorce rates among those age 45 and up grew during this period, whereas rates decreased for younger individuals. The most significant increase was seen in people 65 and older, whose divorce rate tripled from 1990 to 2021.

For some people, a later-in-life divorce can have severe repercussions. Along with the emotional toll it can take on couples and their families, a gray divorce can significantly decrease a person’s wealth. Additionally, expenses tend to increase due to the costs of maintaining separate residences and paying individual bills for utilities, insurance and other essentials.

What causes most gray divorces? Disputes over money, infidelity, verbal abuse, pornography, substance addiction, mental health issues and differing child-rearing views are some of the main factors people identify, according to Jocelyn Elise Crowley, a public policy professor at Rutgers University who explored breakup reasons in her book Gray Divorce: What We Lose and Gain from Mid-Life Splits.

Other reasons for gray divorce include poor communication, unresolved issues, lack of a sex life and excessive conflict.

In Kidman and Urban’s case, the actress cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. The Babygirl star filed on Sept. 30 in Nashville, where the couple lives, although People reported the two had spent this summer apart.

AARP has additional resources on managing a gray divorce, including pet custody, five essential steps women should follow during such a divorce, and a quiz to help protect your finances.