Keith Urban, ‘American Idol’ Judge: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Keith Urban, 47, is one member of the trio of judges on American Idol. He’s also a beloved super star country artist and the husband of the beautiful Nicole Kidman. The two live in Nashville together with their children Sunday and Faith. When it comes to her life with Urban, Kidman raves:

We have a very easy, warm, peaceful life. I think that’s something that I always wanted and I was heading towards and I didn’t know how to find it – and I found it now. I laugh a lot more now, I’m happier.

Recently, Urban performed at the Grand Ole Opry and gushed all about it, telling Taste Of Country:

I love playing here. I always have. When you go out and stand on that cirlce, it’s just a ‘hello’ feeling that you don’t really know what it is until you go out there and do it. I always say it’s like becoming a father — you can explain it, but you can’t explain it.

Now that you’re caught up on what Urban’s being up to lately, read on for all the details on what Urban has to say about the new season of American Idol, how he overcame his cocaine addiction, and his past auditioning on shows just like American Idol.

1. Urban Kicked His Cocaine Addiction Just Months After His Wedding to Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman and Urban married on June 25, 2006 in Australia before settling into their home in Nashville, Tennessee. A few months after the two married, Urban’s love for Kidman made him realized he needed to change his life. He was struggling with an addiction to drugs and alcohol, mostly cocaine and told Oprah Winfrey all about the decision that turned his life around:

I had to make a decision which road I was going to take, once and for all. I’d been at that crossroads before and always taken the wrong road.

Urban said that one of his big worries was going to rehab so shortly after getting married, revealing:

I thought, ‘So maybe if I really want to be courageous and adventurous, let’s take the road less traveled this time.’ It was a huge hole in my life that was going to be filled by the right thing eventually, or it was always going to be filled by the wrong thing. It was really a profound moment in so many ways. Then, the way in which Nic handled that moment was just perfect. Everything was just designed, I believe, for that moment to fuse us together. I thought, ‘Surely let’s give it a few years so we’ve got some solidity, because this kind of thing could tear us apart.’ ‘This could just destroy us.’

Ultimately, Urban made the decision to get help and it only strengthened his relationship with his wife.

2. He Has a Net Worth Of $75 Million

Keith Urban is a country mega-star with a net worth of an estimated $75 million. Celebrity Net Worth lists the accomplishments that have gotten him to this financial point:

A country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Keith Urban has released eight studio albums to date. His success began with his debut album, “Keith Urban” and has continued for almost 20 years. He has had 11 #1 singles and received four Grammy Awards.

Urban’s American Idol salary on previous season was reported at $5 million.

3. The First Time Urban Met His Wife, He Describes the Meeting as Awkward

Urban and Nicole Kidman met while doing an event called “G’Day L.A.” Urban opened up to Oprah Winfrey all about how he first met his wife, stating:

I swear to you, she glided across the room, like floated. I don’t know how she did it. It’s like she’s standing there, and she didn’t walk. It was out of this world. I plucked up the courage to go and do it, very nervously, and trying to be all cool. I introduced myself and she was very pleasant and everything, and there was that moment of waiting for the next thing to be said-of which I didn’t know if I was bothering her or what was going on-so I just sort of said, ‘Well, nice to meet you’ and I just walked away. I went back over and apologized, and we just started talking and just really clicked.

4. Urban Has His Own Guitar Line With HSN

In addition to being a touring super star and famous judge on American Idol, Urban also has a guitar line. His Deluxe ‘Player’ Guitar Collection at HSN with Joy Mangano is available online and Just Jared reported on what comes in the collection:

The 47-year-old entertainer and American Idol judge introduced viewers to his fifty piece guitar and lesson package, which is available on HSN, HSN.com, and HSN Mobile now at the special price of $299.95. The package comes with a 30-DVD lesson series where Keith personally teaches aspiring musicians the fundamental building blocks needed to learn how to play many of his hit songs

5. He Used to Audition For Singing Competition Shows Just Like American Idol

Keith Urban is a great judge, not just because of his entertainment value and expertise in music, but because he’s been in the same shoes as the contestants. Growing up, Urban performed on several singing competition shows, trying to make it big himself. Urban dished to Herald Extra about his personal experiences trying out for shows on TV:

When I was nine years old I went on a show called ‘Pot of Gold.’ Then there was another show called ‘Have a Go Show.’ There was another show called ‘Stairway to the Stars.’ For whatever reason my parents thought these shows were a good place for me to go to maybe not only hopefully get a leg up career wise but also get some advice and feedback, which I certainly did. Some of it’s pretty scathing. I know what it’s like to be humiliated in front of everybody on TV.

Urban is extremely excited for the new season, telling Taste Of Country:

I’m excited about the season, because the singers are really good,” he observes. “The hard part for us is going to be narrowing it down, ’cause we’ve got about 220-something people that we sent to Hollywood. I think it’s going to make for a very strong and eclectic group by the time we get to the live shows.

Another point Urban made to Herald Extra about his experience versus the experience of the contestants, was:

For me, personally, I’ve almost gotten more inspiration from the naysayers in my life than the people who believed in me. They’ve been a strong motivational force at times when I’ve seemingly failed or not gotten what I was trying to do. Those moments have ended up being huge motivational moments for me. So I’m interested if it’s the same for (the contestants).