Despite rampant speculation, Nicole Kidman and Salma Hayek did not share a tense moment at Paris Fashion Week.
In a video posted via X on Sunday, October 13, by Brazilian news outlet Central Reality, Kidman, 57, and Hayek, 58, are seen interacting as cameras flash around them at the Balenciaga show, which took place on September 30.
“There is no beef between the two women,” one source tells Us Weekly of the clip, in which the actresses briefly chat inaudibly with one another, greet Katy Perry and contend with a chaotic swarm of photographers in an extremely crowded space.
“They are close friends and there’s nothing to this. They were in the middle of a conversation and it’s being taken out of context,” a second source tells Us after some outlets and social media users interpreted Kidman and Hayek’s exchange as “tense” and “awkward.” Adds the second source: “Nicole has recently lost her mom, let’s have some grace for her.”
Kidman later took her front row seat at the star-studded show right next to Hayek’s husband, François-Henri Pinault, as Hayek sat beside Pinault, 62, and It star actor Bill Skarsgard. On Kidman’s other side was Anna Wintour.
Paris Fashion Week provided some much needed lightness for Kidman, whose attendance marked the Perfect Couple actress’ first public appearance after the death of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman.
The tragic news was confirmed in a statement read by Kidman’s Babygirl director Halina Reijn during the Venice Film Festival on September 7. “Today I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after, that my beautiful, brave mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just passed,” Reijn, 38, read on Kidman’s behalf at the festival. “I am in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her, she shaped me, she guided me and she made me.”
Of nurse educator Janelle, Nicole said in a 2020 interview: “She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her. But she also carved her own path and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity to carve their own paths.”
Paris Fashion Week was also evidently enjoyed by Hayek, who attended various shows in daring, fun-filled ensembles. One particular standout included the lacy lavender dress and chrome platform heels she wore at the Valentino Pavillon des Folies Show on September 29, just one day prior to the Balenciaga show.
With reporting by Amanda Williams