Nicole Kidman Explains Her "Seal" Clap at the 2017 Oscars

"It was really awkward," the Lion actress says on the Kyle and Jackie O Show

By Zach Johnson Mar 09, 2017 2:35 PMTags

Let's give Nicole Kidman a round of applause.

Rather than come up with some cockamamie excuse for her weird clapping during the 2017 Oscars on Feb. 26, the Lion actress confirmed her Harry Winston rings were to blame. "It was really awkward!" she said on Kyle and Jackie O Show Wednesday. "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?'"

Kidman—who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress—wore 119 carats worth of Harry Winston diamonds, which included a cluster diamond ring. "It was really difficult because I had a huge ring on that was not my own," she said. "It was absolutely gorgeous, and I was terrified of damaging it. It's like, is there not more important things to be focused on than the seal clap?"

photos
2017 Oscars Winners Portraits
ABC

That same night, Kidman suffered a minor wardrobe malfunction when the straps of her Armani Privé gown snapped. She managed to salvage her look by tying them around her neck.

During Wednesday's radio interview, Kidman also spoke about having a front row seat to the Best Picture envelope mix-up. "It was bizarre. I wasn't sure what was going on. No one in the audience was. Then there was some shuffling, envelopes—and people rushing onstage. I was like, 'What is going on?' I thought someone wasn't well and then I saw people's faces dropping."

After Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway incorrectly named La La Land as the Best Picture winner, Moonlight was given the award. According to Kidman, the whole thing "was bizarre."