Scientologist weddings. Custody battles. Parties with pop stars. Tom Cruise and
his son Connor have remained close through it all.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's
decade-long marriage came to an end when Cruise suddenly filed
for divorce in 2001. According to Kidman, this came as a surprise,
since she believed that they had a relatively happy marriage. She told DuJour Magazine,
"It took me a very long time to heal. It was a shock to my system."
In light of this, Cruise wanted joint custody of their children, Connor and Isabella,
due to, quote "irreconcilable differences." Whatever those differences may have been,
they surely left Kidman confused, as it led to Connor and Isabella
leaving her to live with Tom in Los Angeles, California, according Vogue.
In a 2010 interview with Hello! Magazine, Kidman revealed that she was open to the
idea of Connor and Isabella living with her and her husband, Keith Urban. However,
she revealed that the choice for them to live with their father was purely their own, stating,
"They live with Tom, which was their choice. I would love for
them to live with us, but what can you do?"
Despite his sudden departure from his mother, Connor iterated that the two
still maintain a strong connection with each other. He told Women's Day Magazine,
"I don't care what people say,
I know that me and Mum are solid. I love her a lot. My family means everything."
Being the son of two major actors
isn't easy, since it usually leads to unwanted attention from the public. Despite this,
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman have done a good job keeping their two kids away from the limelight.
Due to Tom's religious beliefs, however, supervision was high in the Cruise household.
Although Connor never opened up about his strict living conditions, ex-Scientologist Leah Remini
claimed that his childhood was heavily centered around his father's religion. From homeschooling
to Scientology-based summer camps, Connor experienced an exclusive way of life that
was heavily monitored by those in the Church of Scientology. Although it's all speculation,
there's a good chance Connor grew up following strict Scientology rules.
"There's where it gets interesting."
Despite being under heavy surveillance as a kid, it seems like his belief in Scientology never
wavered. With the Church of Scientology exiling Nicole Kidman for holding opposing beliefs,
she shared that Connor decided to remain involved with the religion after her divorce
from Tom Cruise. During her interview with Who Magazine, Kidman revealed that although her kids
are devoted to a religion she doesn't believe in, she still loves them dearly. Kidman stated,
"They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions. They have
made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it's my job to love them."
Due to his close relationship with his father, it's safe to assume that Tom Cruise had a big
influence on his son's religious beliefs. According to People, their shared faith in
Scientology may have been the glue that kept them together all these years. In 2019, the
father-son duo was spotted in London on the same weekend as an event held by the the International
Association of Scientologists in Sussex, England, according to People.
Religious beliefs aren't the only thing of common interest between
Tom and Connor Cruise. As the son of two legendary figures in the world of acting,
it's only natural to assume he'd follow suit — and he did, for a time. His brief acting
stint saw him star alongside massive stars like Chris Hemsworth in the 2012 remake of
the action war film "Red Dawn," and Will Smith in the 2008 drama "Seven Pounds."
Will Smith praised Connor’s level of professionalism and talent that
he brought to his role as Young Ben at only 13 years of age. Smith also revealed that,
before attaining his gig in the drama film,
Connor had been expressing interest in acting for eight to nine months. Smith added,
"He's got a couple of good role models in his life,
so I think he might be able to put something together."
Tom Cruise seemingly had a positive outlook on Connor's career,
stating that he was almost sure his son and daughter Isabella would follow
in his footsteps. However, this turned out not to be the case.
Despite his two successful roles, Connor seemingly stepped away from the world of
acting in pursuit of other passions. Tom Cruise told Channel 5 News he
has no problem with his kids venturing out to find what truly fulfills them.
"I just want them to do what they wanna do in life and be happy."
For Connor, it seems like he didn't miss out,
as he's been able to make a living as a DJ and deep-sea fisherman.
Tom Cruise gifting his son a $500,000
boat may seem a tad extreme, but it was for a good reason. If you were to take a look at
Connor's Instagram, you'd be amazed by the number of deep-sea creatures he has reeled
in — which spans from massive-sized yellowfins to swordfishes. Despite his private nature,
Connor has no problem sharing his deep-sea feats with his 40,000 followers.
According to TMZ, his talents as a fisherman saw him come in first
place at the 2022 Sarasota Slam fishing tournament in Florida. Connor was able to
reel in a 301-pound Warsaw grouper, which was then donated to feed those in need.
Although Tom stated that he was confident Connor would follow in his footsteps as an actor,
he may have influenced his son's trajectory from acting to deep-sea fishing. According
to Connor, fishing was something that Tom introduced him to as a kid. He told People,
"We used to go fishing a lot when I was a little kid. The biggest fish
I caught was a 250-pound Tuna in Fiji. I was 10."
While it's clear Connor has many talents, it seems like fishing always seemed promising.
People stated that the young prodigy of the seas has since turned his hobby
into a full-time job, all thanks to his father.
"Kay. You got skills."
After divorcing Nicole Kidman in 2001, Tom Cruise hopped into another very publicized
marriage. In 2006, Tom married Katie Holmes, and the couple had a daughter,
Suri, the same year. During the Cruise-Holmes marriage, it seemed that Connor and Isabella
were well acquainted with their step-mom and half-sister. In fact, Holmes stated that
they even started to call her "mom" since they were so close, according to People.
Sadly, this would come to an end, as 2012 saw the demise of Tom's relationship with Holmes.
Tom's connection with his daughter slowly became damaged as a result of Holmes winning custody of
Suri. From limited visits to long-distance phone calls, Tom began to fade out of Suri's life.
Given Tom's distance from Suri, it's safe to assume that Connor doesn't get to see her all
that much either. The last time Tom and Connor were seen with Suri was in 2012. Although we may
never know the true extent of their relationship, it's safe to speculate that the two have drifted
apart over the years. Despite his private nature, Connor doesn't shy away from expressing
his sibling love to Isabella on his Instagram, referring to her as his, quote, "Day 1 homie."
While the Cruise father-son duo is quite heartwarming to see,
it's a shame that the two seemingly don't keep in touch with Suri. After years of no contact,
we can only hope that Tom, Connor, and Isabella might one day mend that broken relationship.
Like his father,
Connor Cruise has made himself known to be a multitalented individual. From acting to fishing,
he's found success in almost anything he's put his mind to. As his father, Tom Cruise seems
very proud of his son for stepping out of his shadow and excelling in whatever he desired.
"They're good people, my children. I'm proud of them because they're good people,
and I don't want them to worry about anything."
We caught a glimpse of this during Connor's brief music career. Connor
found multiple gigs deejaying, Cruise has performed at Nickelodeon's HALO Awards,
and even an after party hosted by Rihanna in the Dominican Republic.
Among the countless endeavors Connor seemed to take on, Tom was always enthralled by his
son's prowess as a DJ. According to Connor, Tom came to a few of his sets to watch him
perform. Onlookers in attendance at his 2012 show at London nightclub Chinawhite
spotted Tom as he quietly made his way into the venue. An insider told People,
"Tom walked in and went straight over to Connor and hugged him. Then he sat down with a glass
of water in the corner and just proudly watched his son for the rest of the night."
Although Connor was only 17 at the time,
Tom seemed to be okay with his son spending his time in clubs doing what he loved.
Although Connor
reassured his fans that he and his mom had a solid relationship, it seems that he's kept
her out of important events in his life. In 2015, his sister Isabella tied the knot with
her long-time boyfriend Max Parker, and didn't invite her mother to the clebration. An insider
told People that Nicole Kidman didn't even know that her daughter was getting married, adding,
"She, like all mothers, wants her child to be happy, and it surely seems Bella is very happy."
Despite her positive outlook on the situation,
the same occurred four years later when Connor married fellow Scientologist Silvia Zanchi.
With the marriage ceremony being Scientology-themed, one can assume that they
didn't invite Kidman due to her opposing beliefs on the celebrity-centric religion. In fact, Radar
Online reported that Tom Cruise banned Kidman from attending the wedding. An insider told the outlet,
"Tom is behind this and what he wants is as good as law. Tom made the call and Connor followed."
Although Kidman is Connor's mother, Tom probably didn't want her to attend the
Scientology-based event since she's referred to as a, quote, "suppressive person" by the
church. While some may believe that his father shouldn't have had a say in Connor's wedding,
it seemed like Connor didn't hesitate to leave his mother out of the ceremony.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's six-year
marriage came to an end when she filed for divorce in 2012. What followed was surely a tense period
for not only Holmes and Tom, but for the kids as well. With Suri attracting unwanted attention,
Connor stood by his father's side when the news broke. Even though Connor and Isabella
had seemingly built a strong connection with Holmes, Connor took to Twitter on July 1,
2012, to assure everyone that he would stick with his father no matter what. He tweeted,
"#LaFamilia Always. Friends come and go, but family is forever."