Why Keith Urban made Nicole Kidman cringe at the ARIAs

Keith Urban may have won laughs as ARIAs host, but one shout-out left wife Nicole Kidman cringing with embarrassment.

Keith Urban may have won plenty of laughs from the audience in his role as ARIAs host but that doesn’t mean everyone was impressed.

Kidman, who let her husband take the lead as the couple walked the red carpet, might’ve hoped for a relatively low key night from her position in the ARIAs audience.

But she was left covering her face with embarrassment after her country singer husband singled her out in the audience the second he walked on stage.

“Hi everyone, hi Australia,” Urban said as he opened the awards show, before gesturing to Kidman. “Hi baby, right in the front row — hi!”

"Oh hi baby!". When your husband opens the 2018 #ARIAs by embarrassing you... pic.twitter.com/a9PM0hTHs1

— ARIA (@ARIA_Official) November 28, 2018

Urban’s early shout-out to his wife won laughter from the audience, as did his joke about the ARIA statues.

“They’re not the biggest pricks in the room but they are close,” he cautioned.

Urban couldn’t resist singling his wife out again while introducing singer Troye Sivan to the stage.

“Let’s say hello to our next presenter, this guy is a singer, two-time ARIA winner and an actor currently co-starring in a really beautiful film that I highly recommend you see called Boy Erased alongside an up and coming new actress called Nicole Kidman,” Urban quipped.

“I think good things are ahead for her.”

Earlier the couple had put on a loved up display on the red carpet together, with Kidman wearing a strapless feather top and pants.

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Nicole and Keith on the red carpet. Picture: MATRIXPICTURES

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The Boy Erased star was accompanied to the ARIAs by her niece, sister Antonia’s lookalike daughter Lucia Hawley.

“Going to the #ARIAs with my niece, we’re so excited to see Keith hosting!” Kidman captioned a photo of the pair on Instagram.

Nicole Kidman and her niece Lucia. Picture: AAP Image/Adam Yip

2018 Aria Awards red carpet

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