Actress Nicole Kidman has debunked the popular belief surrounding a viral image that became a meme after supposedly showing her celebrating her divorce from Tom Cruise.

In a recent interview with British GQ for their Men of the Year cover story, the 57-year-old set the record straight about the iconic 2001 picture that was widely interpreted as her joyfully leaving her lawyer’s office.

“Live every day like you’re 2001 Nicole Kidman leaving her lawyer’s office after divorcing Tom Cruise,” reads the most popular caption associated with the photograph, which shows the actress lifting her hands in the air and screaming in celebration.

“That’s not true,” Kidman explained, putting an end to years of speculation. “That was from a film. That wasn’t real life. I know that image!”

While the actress did not disclose to which production the picture belonged, her reveal shattered the lore of one of the internet’s most beloved memes.

Nicole Kidman debunked the myth surrounding her famous meme image where she’s supposedly celebrating her divorce from Tom Cruise

Image credits: nicolekidman

“I’ll do anything for cinema, so you can meme me as much as you want,” the actress said to GQ.

The image gained renewed relevance when actress and dancer Jenna Dewan announced the end of her divorce from Channing Tatum by sharing the meme on her Instagram stories. The 43-year-old captioned Kidman’s image with “thank you universe.”

Kidman’s relationship with Tom Cruise was touted as “highly controversial” for several reasons, primarily revolving around the actor’s involvement with the Church of Scientology and the strain it put on the marriage.

 

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A post shared by Nicole Kidman (@nicolekidman)

Kidman’s relationship with Tom Cruise was touted as “highly controversial” for several reasons, primarily revolving around the actor’s involvement with the Church of Scientology and the strain it put on the marriage.

Image credits: x17online

The pair married in December 1990 during a private ceremony attended by their family members. “I was so young when I got married,” Kidman reflected in a 2016 interview with Red Magazine, with her being 23 and Cruise 28 at the time.

The couple adopted two children, Isabella Jane in 1992, and Connor in 1995, both of whom have grown to become dedicated Scientologists.

Kidman and Cruise’s marriage was rumored to have ended due to incompatibilities with her beliefs and the actor’s allegiance to the Church of Scientology

Image credits: Leonardo Cendamo / Getty

Kidman’s unwillingness to convert to Scientology made her be considered a “suppressive person,” which in the church’s terms means that the person is critical of the beliefs and must be socially shunned by practicing Scientologists.

Image credits: Patrick Riviere / Getty

This meant that Kidman’s relationship with her adopted kids reportedly became strained after Cruise filed for divorce, a move that the actress stated “blindsided” her as she was still “madly in love” with the actor at the time.

Speculation surrounding the separation points towards the Church pressing the actor to file for divorce but neither party has confirmed it.

Image credits: nicolekidman

Besides briefly commenting on her relationship with Cruise due to the meme being brought up by GQ, the actress also touched upon her current marriage to songwriter Keith Urban, confessing that she sometimes wakes up “gasping and crying” over their relationship and the thought of it ending due to mortality.

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