Last month’s 89th Academy Awards ceremony had one moment so awkward, so bizarre, that most of us will not soon forget it. No, we’re not talking about that whole Moonlight, La La Land kerfuffle (although that was pretty damn awkward as well), but Nicole Kidman’s weird-ass alien-hands seal-clapping, which has been captured for posterity in the above video.
Once the gifs and memes began going viral, many people had questions. Such as, does Nicole Kidman… not know how humans clap? Is she related to the Slenderman? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT IS SHE DOING WITH HER HANDS??
Now, just a few short weeks later, we finally have answers. During a call in to Australia’s Kyle and Jackie O. Show Thursday, host Kyle Sandilands asked the Little Big Lies star, “I told everyone I believed you were clapping like that because you had the rings on and you didn’t want to damage the rings, is that right? That makes sense to me!”
Kidman enthusiastically agreed, and explained what was going on:
Yes, yes! I’m so glad you clarified that because it was really awkward! I was like gosh, I want to clap, I don’t want to not be clapping, which would be worse, right? “Why isn’t Nicole clapping?” So therefore I’m clapping bit it was really difficult because I had a huge ring on that was not my own, but it was absolutely gorgeous, and I was terrified of damaging it!
As to why her hands seemed so long and curved, we can probably just chalk it up to illusions, Michael. The full clip of her Kyle and Jackie O. Show interview can be found below: