Nicole Kidman once confessed that she had a crush on Jimmy Fallon before marrying Keith Urban—and neither of them has ever let her forget it.
The revelation happened during a 2015 episode of The Tonight Show when Nicole and Jimmy took a trip down memory lane. As they recalled their first meeting, Nicole casually dropped a bombshell: she had once seen their hangout as a potential date.
Jimmy, however, had absolutely no clue. He thought they were just meeting up to talk about Bewitched, the movie she was about to film. When Nicole admitted she had “liked” him back then, Jimmy’s reaction was legendary. He fell out of his chair, completely stunned.
“Wait, WHAT?” he gasped. “Did I date Nicole Kidman and not even know it?!”
That night, Jimmy started jokingly claiming, “I dated Nicole Kidman,” and it became a running gag he’s carried with him ever since.
Keith Urban, the Ultimate Prankster
As if Jimmy’s shock wasn’t enough, Nicole’s husband, country music star Keith Urban, decided to have some fun with the whole situation. Over the years, whenever he runs into Jimmy at events, he loves to keep the joke alive.
At the Met Gala, for instance, Jimmy approached Keith and playfully reminded him, “Hey, I think we might have dated once?” Keith, being the good sport he is, just laughed along.
But Keith wasn’t content with just laughing—he had to take it a step further. One night, at a fancy dinner, he devised the perfect prank.
“Nicole’s across the table deep in conversation,” Keith told Jimmy. “Go hold her hand—she’ll think it’s me. Then I’ll walk around and wave at her.”
Jimmy hesitated. “I don’t want to get slapped!”
But he went for it. As Nicole continued her conversation, she absentmindedly held Jimmy’s hand, even rubbing it affectionately. Then Keith strolled up, grinning, and waved at her.
Her face dropped.
“What—Jimmy! What are you doing?!”
Jimmy panicked, immediately pointing at Keith. “It was his idea! His idea!”
@deadline 20 Questions: On Deadline 🖊️ On this week’s episode, Deadline’s Antonia Blyth chats with JimmyFallon. Listen to a clip where Fallon recalls how #NicoleKidman blindsided him on @FallonTonight and the prank that Keith Urban and him did to get her back. Full episode online. Link in bio.
The Unexpected Friendship
What started as an awkward misunderstanding turned into an ongoing inside joke between the three. The bond even extended beyond red-carpet banter, with Keith and Nicole returning to The Tonight Show to laugh about it together.
At one point, Jimmy jokingly asked Keith if he’d ever invite him to his house in Tennessee. Keith didn’t miss a beat.
“I feel pretty safe,” he said with a smirk. “You had no problem ignoring my wife the first time.”
And just like that, an almost-romance turned into one of Hollywood’s most entertaining friendships.
