EXCLUSIVE: Nicole Kidman 'Depression' Fears — Actress Sparks Worries She's 'Going Down a Black Hole' After 'Astonishingly Bleak' Career Admission
Kidman sparked concern after bleak comments about her career.
May 3 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Nicole Kidman has sparked fresh concern among those close to her after revealing a deeply personal outlook on life and death – alongside a surprising new ambition to train as a death doula in a move insiders told RadarOnline.com signals she is in danger of "going down a black hole" with her mental health.
The 58-year-old Babygirl actress disclosed during a recent public appearance she intends to formally study end-of-life care, inspired by the emotional toll of her mother Janelle Ann Kidman's death in September 2024 at the age of 84.
Reflection on Mother's Passing
Nicole Kidman revealed her surprising ambition to train as a death doula.
Speaking at the University of San Francisco's War Memorial Gym as part of the Silk Speaker Series on April 11, 2026, Kidman described the isolation her mother experienced in her final days – and the limitations she and her sister Antonia Kidman faced while juggling family and careers.
Nicole said: "As my mother was passing, she was lonely, and there was only so much the family could provide."
She added: "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's In Danger of Focusing on Grief'
Nicole described the isolation her mother experienced in her final days.
However, one source familiar with Kidman's recent reflections said the comments point to something more troubling beneath the surface.
They told us: "What she's expressing is not just compassion – it's a preoccupation with mortality that those around her find concerning and find astonishingly bleak.
"She's in danger of focusing on grief in a way that risks becoming all-consuming."
The insider added: "It's admirable on one level, but there's worry that she's retreating emotionally – focusing so intensely on death and loss can sometimes be a sign someone is struggling to process their own feelings. People close to her are quietly asking whether she's okay and are scared she is going down a bit of a black hole as she deals with her grief over the passing of her mother."
Celebrities Turning To Death Doula Work
Kidman and her sister struggled to balance their careers with end-of-life care.
Kidman is not alone among high-profile figures exploring death doula training. In 2021, Riley Keough revealed she had undertaken similar work following the death of her brother Benjamin Keough in 2020 and her mother Lisa Marie Presley in 2023.
Riley said: "That's really what's helped me, being able to put myself in a position of service. If I can help other people, maybe I can find some way to help myself."
Meanwhile, filmmaker Chloé Zhao also recently completed Level 1 death doula training in the UK while working on Hamnet.
Chloe said: "I just finished Level 1 training in the UK. In one of the training sessions, we had to research Indigenous cultures from around the world, how they deal with death and dying both today and in the past. You can see that the grief of losing a loved one doesn't change."
The director added: "However, the societal understanding of death and the space it gives to grief and how it's embedded in the culture and the medicalisation of death have shifted so much. In the modern world, when death is no longer seen as a natural part of life – because now it's about staying alive as long as we can – there's almost shame around death."
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Chloé Zhao completed Level 1 training while working on her latest film.
Explaining her motivations, Chloe continued: "Because I have been terrified of death my whole life. I still am. And because I've been so afraid I haven't been able to live fully. I haven't been able to love with my heart open because I'm so scared of losing love, which is a form of death."
Another source, who has observed Kidman's recent public remarks, said: "There's a parallel here – confronting death can be healing, but it can also open doors emotionally that are difficult to close. The concern is whether she has the support she needs as she goes through this process."
