The real story behind that viral video of Nicole Kidman and Salma Hayek's 'feud'.

It must be a day ending in 'y' because two famous women are being pitted against each other online. And this one is extra silly.

ICYMI: this week, a bunch of videos have been circulating online that appear to show Nicole Kidman sharing some stern words with fellow actor Salma Hayek as Katy Perry stood watching at a fashion show in Paris.

When the internet gets hold of new drama, the truth can quickly fly out the window as people fall for versions of events that will create the most chaos and get the most attention. The video spread like wildfire online, of course, with fans taking 'sides' and engaging bad lip-reading services to uncover the 'truth' behind the alleged rift.

Are Nicole Kidman and Salma Hayek in a feud? The internet really, really hopes so. But all is not as it seemed.

This is the full timeline of what's transpired and how this 'feud' narrative has gotten out of control.

The video is taken at Paris Fashion Week in September.

The moment itself actually dates back to last month.

Nicole and Salma attended the Balenciaga show at Paris Fashion Week on September 30. At one stage, as they were posing for photographs, an odd exchange went down between the two actors which was caught on camera.

All that being said, none of this made headlines at the time.

Salma Hayek posts about the event on Instagram like nothing happened.

Two days after the event in Paris, Salma posted about the show. It's worth noting that Balenciaga's brand's parent company is run by Hayek's husband, CEO François-Henri Pinault.

Kidman was announced as an ambassador of Balenciaga last year.

Salma posted about the event on Instagram, including a photo of herself and Kidman posing together in one of the slides.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Salma Hayek Pinault (@salmahayek)

A few edited clips are reposted on TikTok and X.

Two weeks after the event, suddenly edited clips of the exchange between the actors are running rampant online, especially on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter).

@gala.fr

#salmahayek #nicolekidman #katyperry #balenciaga #tiktokfashion #pfw

♬ Way down We Go - KALEO

In the video, Salma can be seen gently steering Nicole into position for photographers before Nicole moves her hand away. In response, Salma appears a little stunned but shrugs it off.

Nicole then greets Katy and says something to Salma, gesturing around her before she walks off, appearing a little dazed by the photographers.

As Nicole departs, Salma tells her 'Yes please' and then continues with the paparazzi.

The rest of the conversation between the two women is very unclear.

Watch the moment Jimmy Fallon realises he missed his chance with Nicole Kidman. Post continues after video.

The video goes viral as people speculate over what Nicole Kidman said.

Like clockwork, the clips go viral and are soon picked up by news outlets along with (largely unqualified) lip readers who decide to decode what was said.

Page Six shared the video with the headline: 'Nicole Kidman seemingly pushes Salma Hayek away at Balenciaga fashion show.'

Online lip readers were convinced that Kidman said 'Don't touch me' but in a following exchange, Salma asked for 'advice' and Nicole said 'You don't need it.' To this, Salma replied 'I do.'

On X, the same 'don't touch me' line was claimed.

oh that “don’t touch me” from Nicole to Salma at a brand show owned by her husband, that Balenciaga contract is in danger I fear 🫣 pic.twitter.com/zqUa6oHfdA

— Louis Pisano (@LouisPisano) October 13, 2024

The majority of online commenters decided to 'side' with Salma, suggesting Nicole was dismissive, rude, and acting like a diva.

A few others have claimed that Salma wasn't respecting Nicole's boundaries when she placed her hands on her.

All the speculation has blown this up bigger than it probably was in the moment.

Some are a little more logical, as this one TikToker claims she uncovered the 'real reason' that Kidman was behaving a little cold: she simply didn't want to be there. Huge mood.

"Salma was willing to pose but Nicole was done with it," she suggested.

@lottiehulmeshowbiz

Real reason behind Nicole and Salma feud #nicolekidman #salmahayek #popculture #greenscreen #foryoupage

♬ original sound - Lottie Hulme Showbiz

Page Six recruited a lip reader, using forensic lip reader Jeremy Freeman, who has rejected the claims that Nicole told the Frida star 'don't touch me'.

Instead, Freeman said that Kidman merely said "I'm fine! I'm good!" when directed by Salma to turn around for the photographers.

PEOPLE Magazine runs statements to respond to feud rumours.

To add more legitimacy to how big this controversy has become, a source told PEOPLE that "nothing happened", stating the entire incident had been misconstrued.

"They were being bombarded by cameras at the end of the show while in the middle of a conversation… People are looking at clips and making a story out of nothing," the insider stated.

"This whole situation is silly. Salma and Nicole love and respect each other."

Another video of Nicole Kidman and Salam Hayek posing surfaces.

A less viral video has shown that the women weren't quite as icy as that one clip would suggest.

Another video from the Balenciaga show paints a different picture as Nicole warmly wraps her arm around Salma. These sworn enemies seem to suddenly be BFFs, huh?

@gala.fr

#salmahayek #nicolekidman #balenciaga #tiktokfashion #pfw

♬ Nasty - Tinashe

But the speculation continues.

Despite it looking like this was all a misunderstanding, people have become convinced that the two stars are in some secret feud.

Some have suggested that Kidman has a grudge against Hayek because she's maintained a close friendship with her ex-husband, Tom Cruise.

But above all, it's worth considering that the Balenciaga event was Kidman's first time fronting the cameras since the death of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman, in September.

If she seemed a little rattled and out of sorts, I don't know anyone on this earth who can blame her.

Feature image: Getty.