Is it just me, or does it seem like Tom Cruise could give an Oscar-winning performance in the art of parental absence? I mean, here we have a Hollywood superstar who’s quite literally flying high, zooming through life at breakneck speed, while his daughter Suri is left waving from the ground like a kid at a school play who was never cast. As Suri turned 18 earlier this year, throwing her hat into the adulting ring, one might hope that this would cue a father-daughter reunion worthy of a heartwarming film. But guess what? Tom’s happy to keep the status quo—distant, detached, and possibly chilling like a villain at a non-existent family reunion.
In a landscape riddled with fractured familial bonds, Tom’s choice prompts us to ponder: is it ever too late to cast the roles of ‘dad’ and ‘daughter’ in a new light? Buckle up, folks—this tale takes us through the whirlpool of celebrity relationships, from non-existent connections to the unwritten future of Suri Cruise, as she steps into adulthood, perhaps ready to pen her own story sans the Cruise surname.
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As far as the world knows, Tom Cruise sees very little of his daughter — and he’s fine to keep it that way.
But the past year marked a turning point in Tom’s relationship with Suri. As she turned 18 in April, she was legally an adult.
At this point, if they both wanted to, they could start to forge a new chapter together.
But it turns out that Tom is content to keep things the way they are: distant.
No one knows for sure when Tom last saw Suri, but we know that his involvement in the girl’s life has been minimal, to say the least.
These days, Suri — a product of Tom’s brief marriage to Katie Holmes — is a bright teenager who’s attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Of course, Tom was not there to move Suri into her dorm or meet her roommate. Considering that he skipped her high school graduation to go to a Taylor Swift concert, that’s not so surprising.
In fact, if this report from Page Six from last year is to be believed, Tom will remain disconnected from his daughter forever.
The outlet reported that Cruise had not seen his kid “in a very long time and is not a part of her life.”
Why? Well, Cruise hasn’t spoken publicly about the Suri situation since 2013, when he was deposed for his lawsuit against the Bauer Media Group.
“Listen, when there is a divorce … things change. It’s not an ideal scene. It’s not an ideal situation,” he told lawyers when asked if it was true that he had scarcely seen his daughter in the past year.
Asked if Holmes had left him “in part to protect Suri from Scientology,” Tom responded, “That was one of the assertions, yes.”
An insider confirmed to Page Six that Cruise’s devotion to Scientology is his main reason for steering clear of Suri.
Both Suri and her mother have been labeled “suppressive persons” by the Church’s leadership for their opposition to its teachings.
“This is his loss, his issue, his problem,” a source recently remarked to Page Six.
True — his loss emotionally and personally, but now, it’s Suri’s loss financially.
Even though Cruise had reported not seen Suri since 2013, he played one crucial role in her upbringing.
The divorce settlement between Tom and Katie reaquired funds for Suri’s needs. Money for things like school, nannies, and health care was provided, in part, by Tom all the years she has been growing up.
Now, she won’t even have that.
Almost immediately after Suri turned 18, it was reported that Tom was preparing to cut her off financially.
As child support is mandated by the courts, there’s no reason he has to continue providing for her once she’s legally seen as an adult.
Doesn’t create many warm and fuzzy feelings, does it? Suri felt exactly the same.
Katie and Tom’s daughter made headlines when eagle-eyed fans noticed that she’d dropped the “Cruise” from her name at her graduation from LaGuardia High School.
Instead, her name was listed as Suri Noelle. The change is a nod to the wonderful woman who raised her.
Noelle’s is Katie Holmes’ middle name.
Like Shiloh and Brad Pitt’s other kids, Suri made the decision to drop the “Cruise” surname to forever distance herself from the father who chose to do the same.
Now, it seems like the pair will carry on with their lives with no strings attached to the other.
So now Tom will focus on the other relationships in his life, then.
As for the other women in Tom’s life — well, that situation is about as murky and uncertain as his relationship with Suri.
For a while there, it looked as though Cruise was dating Elsina Khayrova. However, those two appear to have gone their separate ways.
Then, Tom allegedly set his sights on his Top Gun: Maverick costar Monica Barbaro.
Insiders tell In Touch that Tom and Monica are not exactly dating yet but that they have been spending a lot of time together.
Currently, Cruise is helping Barbaro with her career. He was reportedly instrumental in helping her land a role in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet.
But recently, Tom was spotted out with a young singer-songwriter named Victoria Canal. Victoria, who is only seven years older than Suri, joined Tom everywhere from music festivals to concerts to the set of his new Mission Impossible movie.
Though the pair have not officially confirmed their together, it’s safe to say that Victoria has seen more of Tom in three months than Suri has seen him in the last decade.