Country music singer Keith Urban abruptly disconnected during a radio interview on Tuesday after being asked a deeply personal question about his actress wife, Nicole Kidman.
The Grammy winning singer had called in to 102.3’s “Hayley & Max in the Morning” and spoke to hosts Hayley Peterson and Max Burford.
They prepared him for a “very tricky … deeply personal question,” Page Six reported.
Peterson reportedly admitted she was “uncomfortable” with the question, so Burford asked it instead.
“What does Keith Urban think when he sees his beautiful wife with beautiful younger men like Zac Efron having these beautiful love scenes on TV?” he asked, referring to Kidman acting with Efron in “A Family Affair” on Netflix.
Urban quickly left the interview.
“I think his team hung up on us because they didn’t want us to ask that question,” the producer said.
Peterson said that was “100 percent what happened,” and claimed that she “knew” it would.
“He doesn’t like talking about his wife,” she explained. Burford was mystified that such a question could offend Urban and asked if he had hatred for them or was angry about something else.
Did that question cross a line?
Having conviction is important, especially in the cesspool that is Hollywood. Urban could have answered the sultry question, gotten more mainstream media coverage, and played the game.
Yet he refused to do it and decided that the question was over the line.
It was also probably embarrassing that his wife would do something like that in the first place. No wonder Hollywood’s divorce rate is off the charts.
There is a short list of actors who tend to stay above the fray with things like this. Denzel Washington not telling a reporter who he voted for and instead saying “none of your business” comes to mind.
There’s also Ricky Gervais, who famously lambasted celebrities for thinking their opinions matter while hosting the 2020 Golden Globes. He told them they are in no position to lecture the public about anything.
But one actor stands out in particular: Neal McDonough, who is known for roles in Stephen Spielberg’s “Minority Report,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and television shows “Yellowstone” and “Justified.”
McDonough was a rising star in the 2000s and seemed poised to become a movie star.
His convictions, however, got in the way when he refused to do sex or kissing scenes because he didn’t want to desecrate his marital vows.
“I couldn’t get a job because people thought I was this crazy religious guy,” the devout Roman Catholic said. “But that wasn’t the case. I love my wife, but I love my acting, too. I was hopeful that, at some point, someone would give me a chance again.”
“I remember falling to my knees and saying, ‘God, why have you forgotten about me? Why am I being punished so much?’” he continued.
McDonough added, “And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I realized what self-absorbed questions those were. God has given me so much. We all experience challenges in our lives. I should be grateful — and thankful — for all the blessings I’m given.”
“Justified,” which also cast openly conservative Christian Nick Searcy as their head U.S. Marshal, gave McDonough his second chance when he was asked to play the chilling villain Robert Quarles in Season 3, reviving his career.
And due to his faith and bravery, McDonough’s wife will never have to answer questions like the one Urban clearly didn’t want to consider.
That’s a valuable trait to have in Hollywood.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
