Australian actor-director Simon Baker has sparked dating rumor with his Scarpetta co-star and longtime friend Nicole Kidman after the two were spotted hand-in-hand at the New York City premiere of their Amazon Prime series on March 3.
According to The Sun, the pair were reportedly seen getting cosy during the afterparty, with a source adding:
“Nicole and Simon’s closeness is definitely the talk of the town right now. They’re incredible together on screen, and when you see them together in real life, that chemistry clearly wasn’t faked.”
Simon Baker, 56, was previously married to fellow Australian actor Rebecca Rigg, with whom he shares three children.
Another source close to Kidman and Baker told Page Six recently that the dating speculation is “absolutely false.” The insider explained:
“They’ve known each other for years and are good friends. That is it.”
For those unaware, the Perfect Couple actress is also a godmother to Rebecca and Simon’s younger son, Harry.
All you need to know about Simon Baker’s ex-wife
According to Famous Birthdays, Rebecca Rigg was born in Sydney, Australia, in December 1967. She has acted in both movies and on television.
Rebecca made her onscreen debut as a child actor on the 1977 Australian soap opera, The Restless Years, followed by Fatty Finn in 1980. Over the years, she had recurring roles on other TV projects, including Michael Hayes, L.A. Doctors, Willing and Abel, Rafferty’s Rules, and A Country Practice.
Rigg’s filmography comprises Fortress (1985), Hunting (1991), Spotswood (1992), The Efficiency Expert (1992), Jerry Maguire (1996), Ellie Parker (2005), and Fair Game (2010).
Rebecca Rigg met Simon Baker on a blind date in 1991. From there, they continued to star opposite each other on the hit local TV show, E Street, and fell in love during the shooting. While she played a nurse, Amy, Simon played her boyfriend, Mr Bad.
After five years of dating, the couple tied the knot in 1998 in two separate locations: Sydney, Australia, and California, USA, according to Simon Baker’s interview with Ellen DeGeneres on her eponymous show in 2010.
Between 1995 and 2015, they lived in Los Angeles and expanded their family before moving back to Sydney. Simon Baker famously played Patrick Jane on The Mentalist from 2008 to 2015. His then-wife made a cameo as Felicia Scott on the episode “A Dozen Red Roses.”
Their only daughter, Stella Breeze Baker, 32, is an actress. Not much is known about their two sons, Claude Blue, 26, and Harry Friday, 24, except that the former lives in Paris, France and the latter is a print artist.
During a 2018 interview with PEOPLE, The Devil Wears Prada actor provided an insight into his marriage with Rigg:
“We’ve never really been big on it. Anniversaries, they’re an odd thing, aren’t they? I think we put too much pressure on it. It’s not like that with us. We’re a team. Most of the time, 99 per cent of the time, we’re really great friends. So, I don’t need to mark it with great things.”
Simon Baker continued:
“When we put too much pressure on something, everything gets a little clipped and we don’t feel like we’re ourselves. And I think the most important thing in our relationship is that we’re both able to be ourselves. I think it’s probably the most important thing in most relationships, isn’t it?”
Simon and Rebecca called it quits in April 2020. They announced the separation the following year via a joint statement to PEOPLE:
“We remain close friends and our three children will always be the most important focus of our lives.”
The divorce was finalized in late 2021.
Subsequently, Simon Baker briefly dated Australian fashion designer Laura May Gibbs. Thereafter, he had an on-and-off romance with photographer-entrepreneur Brigette Clark, who is 25 years his junior. They were last photographed together in public taking a stroll through the Big Apple in February 2025.
As for Nicole Kidman, she finalized her divorce from country music star Keith Urban in January 2026, after 19 years of marriage. They share two daughters. The Big Little Lies actress also has a son and a daughter, whom she adopted during her first marriage to actor Tom Cruise.
Edited by Pallavi K