A strict custody agreement, hefty child support payments, and Tom Cruise’s deliberate choice
not to see his daughter.
You won’t believe what Suri’s relationship with her dad is like now.
Like a lot of expectant parents, Tom Cruise was ecstatic about the impending arrival of
his third child, Suri.
In fact, he was so excited about Suri that he reportedly bought his own ultrasound machine
so that he could see her every day.
Cruise told Barbara Walters about the purchase, which can cost up to $200,000.
He seemed to understand that the purchase was on the lavish end, as he reassured people
that the machine would be donated to a hospital after Katie Holmes gave birth.
However, not everyone thought it was a great idea.
In fact, the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine issued a statement condemning
the act, noting that the buy bordered on abusing the equipment.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes welcomed Suri on April 18, 2006.
From all accounts, Suri's arrival into the world was fairly extraordinary.
In fact, only a few days after her birth, Cruise described the experience on "20/20"
and still seemed in awe of everything he witnessed.
He said,
"It was everything that we wanted it to be.
[...] It was spiritual.
It was powerful.
It was indescribable."
"Yeah, she's amazing.
Magical."
CBS News noted that Suri weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and clocked in at 20 inches long.
A representative for Cruise and Holmes also shared information about her name, noting
that Suri has Hebrew origins and can mean "princess," as well as Persian roots, which
could give her name the meaning "red rose."
In 2004, a then-engaged Katie Holmes admitted to Seventeen that she had once fantasized
about marrying Tom Cruise.
Fast-forward a few years, and Holmes found herself walking away from the very marriage
she once wanted.
From all appearances, Cruise and daughter Suri had a solid parent-child relationship
up until 2012.
That was the year that Holmes filed for divorce in a move that apparently surprised Cruise.
While speaking to German TV network ProSieben, he admitted that he didn't see the divorce
coming at all, saying,
"I didn't expect it.
[...] Life is a tragicomedy.
You need to have a sense of humor."
While Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have been pretty quiet when it comes to the exact hows
and whys of their divorce, when pushed, Cruise definitely let something slip.
One of the big reasons Holmes reportedly said she wanted a divorce was to "protect" their
daughter, Suri, from Cruise's religion, Scientology.
The admission came out during his deposition during a libel lawsuit he filed against a
tabloid.
When asked if Holmes felt she had to protect Suri by leaving the relationship, he first
replied that the question was "offensive," explaining,
"[T]here is no need to protect my daughter from my religion.
[...] Did she say that?
That was one of the assertions, yes."
Cruise also admitted that Suri was no longer a practicing member of the religion.
It's unclear if Suri has since been declared a "suppressive person" in the eyes of the
Church of Scientology.
Generally, "suppressive" people are cut off from family members and friends that are still
active members of Scientology.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes hammered out the details of their divorce settlement in 11
days, which is pretty remarkable.
Cruise was not awarded custody of their daughter, Suri, at all, and instead walked away from
the discussions with visitation rights only.
In fact, Cruise was told he can visit with Suri up to 10 days a month, according to Us
Weekly.
Cruise also committed to a fairly hefty sum for child support, and TMZ reported that he
pays over $33,000 a month for Suri's care.
Cruise is also in charge of covering any necessary expenses Suri might rack up, including medical
and dental insurance, schooling, and college, and he also apparently funds extracurricular
activities.
Even though the custody agreement struck between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes makes it clear
that he can see their daughter, it seems like he hasn't been able to make that happen.
A source apparently close to the situation told Us Weekly that this seems to be a deliberate
choice that Cruise is making, explaining,
"Every person is allowed to see their child if they wanted to.
He chooses not to because she is not a Scientologist."
Outspoken critic of Scientology Tony Ortega spoke to Us Weekly about what might be going
on behind closed doors, explaining that it's possible Holmes signed a document agreeing
not to speak badly of the religion in order to get full custody.
Ortega added that Holmes only had one objective, saying,
"She wanted to get away and sh e wanted to get Suri."
Things only got messier for Tom Cruise in the year after his divorce was finalized.
In 2013, he admitted that he hadn't seen his youngest child for at least 100 days, explaining
that his prolonged absence was due to his filming schedule.
According to People, Cruise said in a deposition hearing for his lawsuit against Bauer Publishing
that the then 7-year-old seemed just fine without him.
Cruise added,
"I also find that, you know, Suri is a very happy child, and confident, and has a good
sense of herself."
He further explained that, though he missed Suri's first day of school, that was because
his daughter didn't ask him to be there herself.
In 2016, In Touch Weekly reported that Tom Cruise had not seen or exchanged words with
Suri in over two and a half years.
A source allegedly close to the situation told the publication that the pair had been
using video chat and text messaging to stay in touch but that it had slowed down, before
adding,
"He uses h is film commitments as an excuse, but the truth is that doesn't hold much weight
with Suri anymore."
While it's unclear when Cruise will ever reconnect with his daughter, assuming the reports about
their estrangement are true, the path getting to this point has been long and quite confusing.
Perhaps the two will grow closer when Suri is an adult.
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