Nicole Kidman Trains as Death Doula
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- Nicole Kidman revealed at the University of San Francisco that she is training to be a death doula, professionals who provide emotional, physical, and psychological support to the dying.
- Nicole Kidman said the idea arose after her mother, Janelle Ann, died at age 84 in 2024, noting her mother felt lonely and the family could not fully care for her.
- Nicole Kidman missed the September 2024 Venice Film Festival ceremony, where she won Best Actress for Babygirl, to be with family when her mother passed.
- Chloé Zhao is also mentioned as an Oscar‑winning director who has trained as a death doula because of her lifelong fear of death, as reported by the New York Times.
- Death doulas have become more common in recent years, with one depicted in an episode of The Pitt, and some professionals prefer the term “end‑of‑life doula”.
Why it matters: Families facing terminal illness gain a new source of compassionate, non‑medical assistance as celebrity advocacy brings death doulas into the public eye, potentially expanding the profession’s legitimacy and availability while highlighting gaps in end‑of‑life support and may encourage more healthcare systems to incorporate such services.
