Highlights

  • Katie Holmes left Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology to protect her personal life and her relationship with their daughter.
  • Tom Cruise has not seen his daughter, Suri, in over six years, sparking rumors that the Church of Scientology has kept them apart. He may be working on leaving the Church to rebuild their relationship.
  • Former members of Scientology have claimed that leaving the religion leads to being cut off from family and friends. Jenna Miscavige Hill, David Miscavige's niece, supported Holmes and shared her own negative experiences with Scientology.

Katie Holmes called it quits with Tom Cruise after six years of marriage in 2012, but their breakup was anything but peaceful as the actress fled from Los Angeles to New York in a desperate attempt to separate herself from the Church of Scientology.

Sources say that Holmes had gotten sick and tired of members of the Church interfering in her personal life with Cruise and their daughter. To make matters worse, it was even claimed that several Scientologists started living with the family in L.A., which seemed to have been fine with the Top Gun: Maverick star, but Holmes was not having any of it.

After cutting ties with Cruise, reports claimed that Holmes was convinced she was being stalked by members of the Church and feared for her safety. Clearly, this was much deeper than simply a woman who was ending her marriage and moving cities because of it. Holmes allegedly felt as if Scientology had taken over her life and her relationship, and when she was ready to leave, they wouldn’t let her go in peace.

After moving to the Big Apple with Suri, the press quickly took note of and scrutinized the fact that Cruise was rarely around to come and visit his daughter, and that Katie was only ever spotted spending time with her. He’s believed to have shown up on a handful of occasions after news got out that he hadn’t seen Suri in months, but eventually, sources say, the A-list celeb stopped talking to her entirely.

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Updated October 2023: While Tom Cruise has been able to maintain a relationship with his kids, Isabella and Connor whom he adopted with ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, in more recent years the same cannot be said about Suri. Instead, from all appearances, it has been Katie Holmes who has been raising the former couple's daughter alone.

While Cruise has provided financial support, it is unclear the last time he physically spent any time with Suri. It is rumored that it is the Church of Scientology that had kept Cruise from spending any time with his daughter and that Cruise is working on leaving the Church so that he can rebuild his relationship with Suri. Given that Holmes has defended Cruise recently when it comes to "inaccuracies" with the media and their relationship, it may just be that the decade that Cruise has spent away from Suri is about to come to an end.

Why Doesn’t Tom Cruise Talk To Suri?

Tom Cruise headed to the red carpet
Via: Instar

According to Us Weekly’s report in July 2019, Cruise hadn’t seen his daughter in well over six years, adding that their last encounter when the actor was in New York was very brief and didn’t feel like a daddy-daughter moment but more of a PR opportunity. Clearly, Cruise was bothered by all the press he received with publications calling him a bad parent for neglecting his child because of her mother’s decision to no longer share ties with Scientology, giving the impression that the now 61-year-old ultimately chose his religion over his family.

It was further claimed that because Cruise shares a deep-rooted association with the Church, he was ultimately kept away from Suri because of Holmes’ decision to separate herself from the religion and “blindsiding” her ex-husband with the divorce filing back in 2012. When Holmes and Cruise divorced, the latter made a handful of visits to New York — again, very brief trips. But as time went by, the action star allegedly stopped returning phone calls and hasn’t seen his teen daughter ever since.

Samantha Domingo, who was a Scientologist up until 2004 when she left the religion, said that Cruise’s public outings with Suri after his divorce with Holmes was more than likely a publicity stunt to avoid any further bad press on the Hollywood star, particularly since it had been months after the divorce before he would agree to spend time with his little girl.

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"Maybe he did it for a photo op to make it seem like he was connected so he wouldn’t be criticized," Domingo explained, per Us Weekly. "While the Church of Scientology has insisted that members of their organization are allowed to see their children and other family members whenever they like, others tend to believe that if someone leaves Scientology, they are immediately cut off and never spoken to again."

This was eerily similar to Leah Remini, who came out and said that when she ditched the religion in 2013, she lost dozens of Scientology-associated friends, including those who work in the entertainment industry. In response to Cruise not making time to see his daughter, Domingo added, "Suri’s not his daughter — she’s just a spiritual being in his daughter’s body."

A spokesperson for the organization quickly went on to dispel the supposed “rumors” by Domingo, saying, "Everything about your inquiry misrepresents the Church of Scientology, its practices, and the lifestyle of its ministry."

What Katie Holmes Dealt With As A Member Of The Church Of Scientology

Katie Holmes smiling outside in New York City
via Instar

To get an understanding of how the Church of Scientology operates, former Scientologist Marc Headley, who at one point worked as the executive producer of Golden Era Production, the organization’s in-house studio, explained what was expected of those in the Church.

"It’s not like you only have to please your husband—you have to toe the line for all Scientology," Headley said. "You can’t do anything to displease Scientology, because Tom Cruise will freak out."

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Even Jenna Miscavige Hill, David Miscavige's niece, who abruptly left the church in 2005, threw in her support for Holmes.

"My experience in growing up in Scientology is that it is both mentally and at times physically abusive," Miscavige Hill stated. "I was allowed to see my parents only once a week at best — sometimes not for years."

She went on to say, "We got a lousy education from unqualified teachers, forced labor, long hours, forced confessions, being held in rooms, not to mention the mental anguish of trying to figure out all of the conflicting information they force upon you as a young child. As a mother myself, I offer my support to Katie and wish for her all the strength she will need to do what is best for her and her daughter."

What Tom Cruise's Relationship Is Like With Suri Today

Tom Cruise and Suri
Via: The Things

Some of the most recent reports claim that Cruise has not seen or spent any time with Suri in over a decade. While he pays $400,000 per year for Suri until she turns 18 years old, money does not a relationship make. But, as a result of the "religious crisis" Cruise has been dealing with over the last couple of years, he may have finally made the decision to cut ties with the Church of Scientology, opening the doors to rebuilding a relationship with Suri in the years to come.

Given that Cruise has not been spotted at any of the Church's headquarters in the UK while spending much of his time filming there since the pandemic, it has left many to wonder if ties have been severed. Further still, for the first time since their divorce, Holmes has publicly come out to condemn the media for making false claims about Cruise and his relationship with Suri. As such, there may be some reconciliation happening between father and daughter under the radar, with the media not being privy to allow Suri her privacy.

However, until there is any confirmation on the matter, it is anyone's guess as to where Cruise and Suri truly stand today.

Sources: usmagazine.com, geo.tv, thehollywoodreporter