Emily Mack
Scientology has broken apart all three of Tom Cruise’s marriages… but do his three children believe in the power of Xenu?
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Foray into Scientology
Cruise married his first wife, Mimi Rogers, in 1987, around the time he was indoctrinated into Scientology. Rogers, an actress, had grown up in the church and acted as Cruise’s “auditor.” Auditing is a central tenet of Dianetics, or, the practices that makeup Scientology. It functions as a sort of pseudo-science therapy session and with her role, Rogers was instrumental in Cruise’s joining the organization.
The couple remained together until 1990, after which Rogers left the church. Since then, former Scientologists have alleged that the head of Scientology David Miscavige played a major role in the breakup as he pressured Cruise to pursue a new, bigger star: Nicole Kidman.
Split with Nicole Kidman
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman met on the set of Days of Thunder in 1989 and married the following year. Soon after, they adopted their first child together: Isabella Jane Cruise, born in 1992, then Connor Antony Cruise, born in 1995.
As the ’90s wore on, the new parents remained one of Hollywood’s hottest couples, reuniting on the screen in 1999 for the hit erotic thriller, Eyes Wide Shut. But there was trouble in paradise. Kidman refused to join the Church of Scientology.
Eventually, this led to a bitter divorce in 2001. And in a shocking twist, the children sided with Cruise. Tom Cruise appeared to gain full custody following the divorce, going on to homeschool the children who, to this day, remain confirmed members of the church.
Mark Rathbun, a former Scientologist leader who famously defected, has said that David Miscavige tapped Kidman’s phone after the breakup as the organization worked to turn Isabella and Connor against their mother.
Kidman now shares two daughters, Sunday and Faith, with her husband Keith Urban. And while that celeb family is pretty public, any relationship Kidman maintains with her oldest children is under wraps.
In 2018, Kidman told Who Magazine: “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.”
Isabella Cruise
Isabella Cruise, who goes by the nickname Bella, is now 29 years old. She married the British consultant Max Parker during a secret ceremony in London in 2015. And though Bella remains active in the Church of Scientology, as of 2016, Parker himself reported that he was not a Scientologist.
Speaking in a rare interview that year, Bella also revealed that she does indeed keep up a relationship with her mom. “Of course [we talk], they’re my parents. Anyone who says otherwise is full of s**t,” she told The Daily Mail. However, Kidman did not attend the wedding even though she was in the same city at the time.
The Daily Mail also reported that Bella and Parker keep up a decidedly modest existence — despite the whopping fortunes of both of Bella’s parents. They were living in a one-bedroom apartment together around the time of their wedding.
It’s worth noting, too, that Bella goes by the name Bella Nicole Kidman on both social media and her own personal website. Apparently working as a graphic artist, she sells prints, tees, and tote bags on the site.
Connor Cruise
The 27-year-old Connor Cruise made headlines recently after posting some pretty intense deep-sea fishing photos. Indeed, the sole Cruise son is a serious fisherman and lives in Clearwater, Florida to pursue the sport.
In 2019, Connor married fellow Scientologist Silvia Zanchi. Reportedly, her family is from Italy and has been in the church for two generations.
Not much is known about the couple, aside from Connor’s love of fishing which features heavily on his social media.
Suri Cruise
Of course, Tom Cruise’s most famous child is Suri Cruise: the darling daughter he shares with ex-wife Katie Holmes. Holmes and Cruise’s high-profile romance defined the early aughts — remember the couch jumping? — but has since soured… again, due to Scientology.
TomKat, as they were dubbed by the press, first went public in 2005, and the same year, announced they were expecting a child. Suri Cruise was then born in April 2006 and that November, Cruise and Holmes wed. David Miscavige served as Cruise’s best man.
Holmes was quickly indoctrinated into the church and remained with Cruise for the next five-and-a-half year. In 2012, though, the actress blindsided Cruise with a divorce. Holmes had been meticulously planning her exit for some time, with help from her attorney father, and the divorce settled in court less than a month later. Holmes gained custody of the young Suri and returned to the Catholic Church.
In 2013, while suing Bauer media over claims of defamation, Cruise took to the stand and revealed further details about the split. In his deposition, Cruise exploded in anger at the question of whether Holmes left “in part to protect Suri from Scientology.” However, he eventually admitted: That was one of the assertions, yes.”
Those proceedings also confirmed that Suri, now 16 years old, is no longer a member of the church. And according to recent pics, she looks just like her mother.
