Nicole Kidman has long been a gay fave, but now that she’s post-divorce, lesbians are getting their hopes up that the next time she steps out with a new date, it’ll be a woman.
The queer devotion to Kidman is almost unrivaled. She’s stunning, talented, and is known for her undeniable sexiness and dramatic flair. So it’s no surprise sapphics out there are dying to call her fam. The idea of Kidman being secretly into women is currently going viral on social media, and while this may seem trivial and even a little silly, dissecting photos, performances, and interviews for a queer reading on a favorite celebrity also builds community.
Looking for subtle looks between two female celebs that could be more than friends — like Kidman and her bestie Naomi Watts — or sharing silly theories online, brings sapphics together at a time when we could all use that kind of camaraderie.
There is also a strong desire for more lesbian representation. Every year we’re getting more lesbian characters in movies and on TV, we’re seeing an increase in queer women in music, and more sapphic celebs are finally coming out, but compared to the constant onslaught of heteronormativity, it still doesn’t feel like enough. Which is why chatting with friends and people on social media about these theories can be so fun and cathartic.
But why does the idea that Kidman might swing our way have lesbians in a chokehold? And is there any actual evidence that might prove that the theory has merit? Let's investigate.
Her lesbian hair
Alexi Melvin — producer, writer, actor, and host of the That’s So Sapphic and Sapphic Panic podcasts — has been obsessed with Kidman since her Practical Magic days, and says that it would make her “little sapphic heart explode” if she turned out to be queer.
But it was a specific hairstyle that really got Melvin's hopes up. Kidman made lesbians swoon when she turned up with what Melvin calls a “sapphic swoop” hairstyle earlier this year. The 58-year-old actress has been wearing wigs for years — we probably haven’t seen her real hair since the ‘90s — so who knows what style she actually sports, but this iconically lesbian style raised eyebrows.
“A haircut can’t make somebody gay or provide evidence of someone’s sexuality. But I do think that women exploring their style and balance within the androgyny spectrum should be celebrated,” Melvin says. "And the willingness to explore does suggest at least an openness to a certain level of giving off ‘queer mystique.’ (Have you seen her in those loose-fitting suits?!).”
Yes. Yes, we have.
Picking apart something as simple as a new haircut, may feel like fans are stretching to see a lesbian interpretation where there isn’t one, but, first of all, that hairstyle was gay, and second, of all, it’s all in good fun.
Nicole Kidman's sapphic roles
Sapphics don’t even have to stretch for this one because Kidman isn’t just an icon lesbians lust after and love for her diva qualities, she’s also given the community a hint of what it would look like if she came out queer.
She played lesbian novelist Virginia Woolf in 2002’s brilliant The Hours, portrayed a sapphic character in Top of The Lake, and we all went a little weak in the knees when we witness her onscreen lesbian kiss with Tiffany Boone in Nine Perfect Strangers.
But honestly, even before she ever shared a kiss with a woman on screen, lesbian have been obsesses. See Practical Magic and Moulin Rouge!
Melvin also “emphatically raises eyebrow in lesbian” when they heard Kidman admit to being a super fan of the extremely sapphic-coded Killing Eve starring fellow gay faves Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. I mean, c'mon!
Rumors about Naomi Watts
There have long been theories circulating online that Kidman and her best friend, Naomi Watts, have been having a secret love affair. To be clear, there is no actual evidence that it’s true. However, we can still enjoy it when, in an interview with InStyle early this year, Watts gushed over how her BFF reached her peak sexuality in her 50s.
"When you think of the body of work, how many different things she’s done, and she’s so fearless in every single role," Watts said. "And then, at the epitome of her sexuality in her 50s? I mean, power to her! Yes, it is extraordinary."
They may just be really close, supportive friends, but reading quotes like this through a queer lens and finding elements that resonate with your own lived experience as a queer woman is completely natural.
Why are sapphics so attached to the theory that Nicole Kidman is queer?
After being off the market for 19 years, it’s only natural that sapphic fans would start getting their hopes up again. Queer women often get attached to theories that their favorites are secretly queer. The Gaylors did it with Taylor Swift, and queer women have long theorized about Kate Winslet. But why are queer women so attached to the theory that Kidman is secretly LGBTQ+?
According to Melvin, it has to do with representation, or rather, the lack thereof. For Boomer, Gen X, and millennial sapphics, you were stuck with only a few out gay women like Melissa Etheridge, Ellen DeGeneres, and Billie Jean King. The pickings with thin, which is why we latched onto any signal that other female celebs might share our love of women.
“This caused us to ‘grasp’ for hints, or queer coded moments in otherwise hetero stories,” they say. “And there were certain women who took up space in a way that we perceived as ‘a little different.’ Think about Cate Blanchett, Gillian Anderson, and Sigourney Weaver. They challenged the expectations of what women ‘should be’ and how we should move through the world. They did not conform to the male gaze. These were our icons. So, when we see women take on these qualities, we immediately want them to be queer. (Because women are elite)’ but also because we see ourselves in them.”
Is there enough evidence to support the theory?
Kidman has given sapphics plenty of reason to dream it could be possible. Is it true? Who knows, “but can we all wish, hope, and dream? Hell yes,” Melvin says.
“I think there is enough evidence to support the theory that most women are a lot gayer than they realize,” they explain. “It’s just a matter of finding where you land on that spectrum. Look at most of the men in romantic comedies or in romance novels that women fell in love with growing up. They were written by WOMEN.”
Plus, it's fun. Regardless of what her sexuality is, theorizing that she could be queer is a lighthearted pastime at a time when hetero relationships are being shoved down our throats and queer love is simultaneously being painted as immoral by political leaders. So we’ll continue to ship her with women in our minds, even if that never happens in real life. A girl can dream, right?
