It’s over. Yesterday, news broke that Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman had separated and as TMZ reported, the two have been living apart since the beginning of summer when Keith moved out. Sources tell the news outlet that Nicole has been taking care of their two children and is “holding the family together through this difficult time since Keith has been gone.” The source added that Kidman was trying her hardest to save the marriage, making Urban’s decision to move out one-sided, saying: “She didn’t want this. She has been fighting to save the marriage.” Of course, you never know what’s really going on behind closed doors, but the two of them always appeared very much in love, and they often spoke publicly about their seemingly strong marriage and life together. They share two daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 14, and it’s just heartbreaking all-around, especially for their kids. But today, news broke that Kidman has officially filed for divorce from the country star, which was first reported by TMZ and confirmed by People. They were married for 19 years, and first met in 2005 after meeting at the G’Day USA gala in Los Angeles. Urban talked about his wife’s “otherworldly era,” saying he was incredibly nervous to talk to her and felt like he was meeting a “real life princess.” He eventually worked up the nerve to ask for her number, though it still took him a while to actually call her. Once he did, their connection was instant and the rest is history. They were married the following year in 2006: “I was trying to play it cool, but inside, I felt like I had snuck into the royal ball. Simply because Nic has such a truly otherworldly era about her, and I felt a bit like I was meeting a real life princess… and despite all of that, I did manage to get her phone number on a tiny piece of paper, and I carried that number in my pocket for well over a week. I’d pull it out and look at it… I was just scared. I was nervous to call her, and as prone as I might have been at the time to all sorts of delusional thinking, even I couldn’t stretch that to think this extraordinary would ever see anything in a guy like me. And that’s not me being humble, that’s literally how I saw myself and her. I did, as you’ve probably figured out, work up the courage to finally call her. We started talking, and we just talked and talked like we’d known each other our whole lives. It turned out that this mystic creature was really just a wide eyed, vivacious, giddy girl from the Sydney suburbs, and despite being born in Honolulu, she was utterly Aussie through and through.” Just four months into the marriage, Urban went to rehab and he was unsure if they would make it. He’s spoken publicly about how she helped him through it, and during a beautiful speech about his wife at the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala last year, where Kidman was the honoree, he gushed: “That’s the thing about Nic. She loves, and she loves life. I’ve actually never met anyone who has such a passion for being alive. She’s got a bit of ready, fire, aim about her. Thank God, because it’s fun as hell to be around, because anything can happen at any moment. She’s endlessly curious, she dives in headfirst and she follows with little to no thinking at all of the consequences. Perfect. It’s so pure in all the right ways, and she’s also preserved her inner little girl beautifully, admirably. Consequently, Nic’s not jaded, she’s not cynical, she’s definitely not complacent, and she’s not afraid to be afraid. I mean that professional and personally.” He closed it by saying how “madly in love” he’s been with her for nearly two decades: “She has a capacity to love like no one I’ve ever met. and I know tonight is all about her body of work so far, so far, baby. But next year will be 20 years that I’ve been madly in love with you. Congratulations, baby girl. I love you.” Of course, this is an incredibly tough time for their family, especially they have two young daughters, and we’re wishing the best to all of them as they navigate through this tough time. The post Nicole Kidman Officially Files For Divorce From Keith Urban After 19 Years Of Marriage first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

This might be the best comparison that I’ve heard in a while. Over the years, Tyler Childers has been likened to several notable characters. One of my favorites came from a show last year when a Texas woman said that Timmy Ty’s on-stage rants reminded her of Texas Ranger from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. The comparison had me doubled over with laughter, and I still hear the cadence of Texas Ranger today in Childers’ delivery in many of his rants since this comparison was made. Not to mention that the matching red hair really seals the deal of this comparison. If you are having trouble seeing the comparison, fortunately, this social media user (@Texasgirlmom on TikTok) has done us a favor by clipping moments from the classic film alongside Childers’ talking. @texasgirlmom I finally figured out who Tyler Childers reminds me of…. #tylerchilders #talladeganights #fyp #foryoupage #htx ♬ Have A Nice Day by Treaty Oak Revival – Treaty Oak Revival Another comparison has been made on social media, and I think this one takes the cake over the Texas Ranger comparison. After a show at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, NY, a clip of Childers delivering his monologue before performing “Bitin’ List” led one TikTok user to say that Tyler Childers is the “Spicy Mr  Rogers of our generation.” Talk about a blast from my past, as I was immediately transported back to my childhood, hearing the intro of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood playing through my TV. For over 30 years, Mister Rogers was a trusted friend to children, speaking directly to them from the TV, thereby breaking the fourth wall. Mister Rogers taught children that “There is only one person in the whole world like you, and people can like you just because you’re you.” He also shared lessons about loving each other, empathy, and overcoming fears. Mister Rogers would help children digest big feelings and difficult topics in an easy-to-understand way, and would take children on whimsical adventures through the Neighborhood of Make Believe. Mister Rogers was a comforting character, and when I first read this comparison to Tyler Childers, I was a little unsure, but after re-watching the clip that prompted this comment, it’s all I can see now. In this clip, specifically, Tyler Childers embodies the Mister Rogers character through his clothing, wearing the iconic cardigan that Rogers often sported on his TV program. The rant that Childers goes on before performing “Bitin’ List” also feels very Mister Rogers-ish as he details how frustrated he gets seeing people neglect to put up their shopping cart. “People that leave their grocery carts just in the middle of the parking lot. That’s so aggravating. You pushed that thing around for the last 40 minutes, maybe an hour and a half, and you can’t just go that extra little step, man. The shopping experience isn’t over yet!  That’s aggravating, but that’s not the kind of people that I’m talking about. I’m talking about those people that you really can’t stand. Probably got a good reason. Might be misguided, maybe based on, you know, some wrong information, but all you know is you can’t look at them without ruining your day.  And I know that each, well… most of you, maybe some of y’all out there are just so blissed out that you’re like, “I don’t know what he’s talking about.’ And we’re all striving for that man, keep it up.” Doesn’t this feel like an example Mister Rogers would use in his show about how you should be kind to others? If I were to turn on Mister Rogers’ show today, I feel like he could easily have spun this into an example of how you help out others, even if it’s not your job, because you’d hope others would help you in a time of need. And at the end, where Childers calls out the people who are so zen that they don’t have folks on their “Bitin’ List,” that is also a philosophy that Mister Rogers would teach. Do not hold grudges against anyone around you. @notlauraclark who is on your biting list? mine include people who litter; who are rude to wait staff; and too ignorant to understand sud, harm reduction, and naloxone #fyp #lauratravels #tylerchilders #bitinlist #livemusic ♬ original sound – Laura Clark Another comparison that comes to mind is the work he has done to support the Blackfeet Nation, reminiscent Mister Rogers and Officer Clemmons. While it’s not exactly the same, Rogers was a pioneer in teaching children to accept folks of all races. In 1969, Mister Rogers invited Officer Clemmons to come and cool down by dipping his feet in a kiddie pool, breaking the color barrier that existed at that time. In 1969, when Black Americans were still prevented from swimming alongside whites, Mr. Rogers decided to invite Officer Clemmons to join him and cool his feet in a pool, breaking a well-known color barrier. pic.twitter.com/WBp7t45VTX — Jim Koenigsberger (@Jimfrombaseball) September 26, 2025 As I said, it’s not exactly the same, but Childers has a deep respect and honor for those folks in the Blackfeet Nation. Not only has he quietly financially supported many of their nonprofits, but after learning about their culture, his relationship with these people drove his decision to no longer play “Feathered Indians” at his concerts. While he admits that he loves the song, he hopes that not playing it will prompt people to think about the connotation it carries. “That song has some of my favorite lines I’ve ever written, some of my favorite melodies. Not playing that song is going to make people think.” Although, I’m pretty sure that we never heard Mister Rogers talk like Tyler Childers’ NSFW intro to “Eatin’ Big Time:” “You know, I knew this guy, his name was Wayne Homen. He was a bada** motherf***er. He was a comrade and a sniper in Vietnam, and he told me a very important thing that I will never, ever, ever forget. And you will do well to remember it also. He said, ‘Tyler, if you ain’t eatin’ that p***y… well sombody’s eatin’ it.’” @champagnecassidy In the 6 times I’ve seen him over 4 years tonight was the most I remeber him speaking. This is the joke that opened the show. #tylerchilders #eatinbigtime #concert @Tyler Childers #tylerchildersontheroad ♬ original sound – champagnecassidy The lesson still stands, the Mister Rogers test that you should work hard for what you want, or else someone might beat you to it. I guess that’s where the “spicy” reference really comes into play. If Timmy Ty continues to rock these cardigans on stage, I fear this comparison might stick. Before you go, fire up some tunes from “Spicy Mister Rogers.” The post Someone Called Tyler Childers The “Spicy Mister Rogers Of Our Generation,” & Now I Can’t Unsee It first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

There’s a new song coming from the Red Clay Strays this week. We haven’t heard a ton out of the band from Mobile, Alabama in a while. They dropped their sophomore album Made By These Moments in 2024, and even shared a Live At The Ryman project at the end of last year as well. But as far as new music goes, with a couple of exceptions (they’ve been featured in a couple of songs), the Red Clay Strays have been too busy touring to make that happen. Or so we thought. In an interview with Joe Rogan on The Joe Rogan Experience, frontman Brandon Coleman, guitarist Drew Nix and bassist Andy Bishop shared that they, like the rest of the world, were very shaken by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The conversation slowly steered towards that during the interview, and Coleman cited Proverbs 8:36 when speaking on the sickening response that some people had to the political activist’s death: “There’s a Proverbs verse that (says), ‘He who doesn’t find me harms himself and he who loves death hates me.’ If you love God, you can’t love death. You can’t love somebody getting killed. There’s the line right there. There’s evil and good. There’s no justification for that.” The Red Clay Strays frontman then quickly made sure to clarify that they’ve never had any interesting in being political, or trying to push a political agenda: “We’ve always made a point in the band to not get political. We don’t care what your politics are. Just come listen to our music and come have fun at our show. Every one of us in the band, originally, we all had different views politically and religiously in some type of way… I love a good political talk, but lately I’ve just been so jaded from it. And I don’t want to ever divide my fanbase. How you vote or how you believe is none of my business. We are here to entertain you. So I never want to use my platform to do that.”  However, the band did touch on the Charlie Kirk situation in their time with Joe Rogan. They see Kirk’s death not as a political issue, but as as a basic human problem, and if them coming out and condemning the actions is seen as political… so be it. Coleman shared that they had actually already recorded a song back in April that touched on the issue of people putting politics first, and after Kirk’s death, they decided to go ahead and release the song as a single. From what The Red Clay Strays said in the interview, fans can probably expect a song called “People Hatin'” to come out October 3 (this Friday). “We got so sick of people putting politics over humanity that we had actually wrote a song about it in April in the studio called ‘People Hatin’.’ We weren’t going to put it out as a single at first. We were gonna do another song. But after the Charlie Kirk thing, we got together and we were like, ‘I think we need to put ‘People Hatin’ out instead for the first single.’ Because we’ve got to stop killing each other over beliefs and stop hating each other over beliefs.” Amen to that. Make sure to be on the lookout for the new song from The Red Clay Strays, and if you want to listen to their interview with Rogan, you can do so below. It’s well worth the listen. The post The Red Clay Strays To Release New Single “People Hatin'” In Response To Charlie Kirk Assassination first appeared on Whiskey Riff.

The late, great Robin Williams once beautifully said, "I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it feels like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody else to feel like that."One night at a comedy club in Los Angeles, a new, nervous stand-up comic was called to the stage by the emcee. In one hand, she casually had a beer that she propped up on the piano. In the other, was her notebook full of scribbled, half-written joke premises and a few wine stains. She did her opening joke and the response was so quiet, she could hear the ice machine crackling in the kitchen. Joke two—a slight spattering of nervous laughter. Joke three got a heartier laugh, but then it went back to deafening quiet by joke four. See on Instagram She mercifully got through her final joke, and said, "That's my time" long before the red light in the back of the club even went on. She scurried off stage with her beer not unlike that rat in New York scurrying across a sidewalk carrying a piece of pizza. Panicked, embarrassed, and, frankly, a little hungry.It was just one of those nights. The last time she'd done this act—with nearly the exact same jokes—she'd received an applause break. This time, she was left questioning every one of her life decisions. Why had she come to Los Angeles? How was the next month's rent supposed to get paid? Why had she cut her hair in the "Rachel" haircut?As she was about to enter the hallway that led into the bar area, she could feel actual tears forming behind her eyes, like little faucets that were slowly turning on. "Don't cry at the comedy club," she told herself. Rather, "Don't cry at the comedy club AGAIN." But as the tears came anyway, she looked up and lo and behold, there was Robin Williams. She stuttered, "You. Are. One of my favorites. Ever." He looked at her, his blue eyes warmly crinkling and said, "You were amazing." Robin Williams was as kind as he was funny. Giphy It hadn't been true. But the fact that he would go out of his way to make this total stranger's awful night into one of her best at that time, was just the kind of person Robin was.I know this because that woman was me.I wanted to tell him about the Mork and Mindy poster on my wall as a kid, and how I had cut out Mindy's face and put in my third-grade class photo. I wanted to tell him how much I loved his care for animals and for the unhoused and for the less fortunate. Or that because of him, I had a weird fetish for suspenders. (The last one wasn't quite true, but I still wanted to say it.) See on Instagram But instead I merely laughed and said, "Oh, thank you. But I can do better." He gave me a gentle look like, "We're all in this together," and even though I knew I'd never have a career like his, it dawned on me that it didn't matter. That being kind to others actually DID matter and that he was a lighthouse in a really stormy, pitch-black ocean.I stuck it out and just a few years later, got to perform in the super cool and coveted "New Faces" show at the Just for Laughs Montreal Comedy Fest. Didn't kill there either, but I was able to step back and look down from an aerial view. How we uplift others, whether through laughter or kindness, is really the only control we have in this world.Years later, after Robin passed away, I had heart surgery and was feeling down. I had read that cardiac issues could leave a person biochemically depressed and the first person I thought of was him. I messaged our mutual friend from San Francisco and asked if he remembered Robin speaking to him about heart surgery and depression. He only affirmed that yes, it was a very real side effect and that I should take it seriously.I have always thought of the neurotransmitter Serotonin like it was a flowery perfume. Notes of honey, lavender, rose. When someone has a good amount of it floating through their synapses, it leaves trace of itself wherever it goes, as if the tunnels it burrows under pumps it out through a steam grate. But from what I've heard, Robin struggled with that too. And yet he still found a way to leave a lovely and inviting scent behind him, because he wanted to make sure OTHERS were okay. A heart shaped neon sign in the dark Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash I guess, even in his death, I was looking to Robin for answers. But one puzzle remains solved: making others happy is the kindest thing we can do, even when our own valves—whether heart or perfume pumps—fail to work.This article originally appeared in April. It has been updated.