Why Tom Cruise 'Chooses Not To See' His Daughter 11 Years After Their Last Sighting Together
She has been deemed a "Suppressive Person."
Jaguars PS/Shutterstock/Getty/Instagram Tom Cruise’s relationship with his daughter, Suri Cruise, is a topic that has long-bewildered fans of the actor.
In the 2000s, Cruise and Katie Holmes were regularly blasted across tabloids with their daughter. But, following their divorce in 2012, Cruise’s public appearances with Suri were rare.
Here are all the details on Tom Cruise and Suri Cruise's relationship now.
Does Tom Cruise see Suri?
Rumors have circulated that Cruise's role in the Church of Scientology has complicated his relationship with his youngest child.
Tom Cruise has not been seen publicly with Suri since 2012 and is reportedly estranged from his daughter.
According to Us Weekly, it has been 11 years since the "Top Gun" star was seen publicly with Suri, who is now 16 — almost 17 — years old.
It is unclear whether he has seen or spoken to her behind closed doors but Page Six claims the star has not seen Suri since she was 7.
“If he wanted to see her, he could see her,” one source told Page Six. “Even people in prison have a right to see their children.”
Katie Holmes has custody of Suri but Cruise was given visitation rights.
The “Mission Impossible” actor and the “Dawson’s Creek” alum settled proceedings just 11 days after Holmes filed for divorce. Holmes was granted custody of their daughter.
Cruise was given visitation rights of 10 days per month but sources claim he opts not to see her.
“He chooses not to because she is not a Scientologist,” claimed an Us Weekly source in 2018. Cruise reportedly pays over $33,000 per month in child support for Suri.
“He still loves her,” a source told Hollywood Life in 2019.
“Tom never intended to be estranged from his daughter when he decided to have a family with Katie and looks forward to repairing the relationship one day.”
Katie Holmes allegedly took Suri away from Tom Cruise to save her from Scientology.
Cruise is a member of the controversial Church of Scientology, a religious group often accused of being both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business.
Holmes also studied Scientology during their marriage but reportedly left Cruise to avoid becoming further entrenched in the group.
The actress now lives primarily in New York City with Suri, a relocation that may have helped her get her daughter out of the church.
In a 2013 libel suit against Bauer Media, whose magazines claimed he abandoned his daughter Suri Cruise, Cruise labeled the suggestion that Holmes divorced him "in part to protect Suri from Scientology" as “offensive.”
However, when asked if his ex-wife ever indicated that she left because of the religion or because she wanted to protect their daughter from Scientology, Cruise responded:
"Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes."
This likely means that Suri and Holmes have both been deemed a “Suppressive Person” by the church — a term Scientologists use to describe people who impede the progress of individual Scientologists or the Scientology movement.
Sources say that anyone who leaves the church is cut off from all members of the church, including their immediate family.
It is suspected that Holmes has been banned from speaking about Scientology.
The actress has never publicly spoken about her ex-husband’s religion nor why she left the church and critics of the group have suggested that she might be legally restricted from doing so.
Tony Ortega, former editor-in-chief of The Village Voice and a critic of Scientology, told Us Weekly that Holmes probably signed “some nondisclosure agreement saying she wouldn’t say anything bad about Scientology.”
“She wanted to get away and she wanted to get Suri,” Ortega explains.
He also suggested that she has been advised not to associate with Leah Remini, a fellow actress who has been outspoken about leaving the church.
“I’m sure her father, who’s a smart attorney, has probably told her that hanging out with Leah would be considered disparaging the church in the eyes of Tom and the church,” Ortega says.
Tom Cruise appears to have a relationship with the children he shares with Nicole Kidman.
Cruise also shares two adult children, Connor and Isabella, with ex-wife Nicole Kidman and, by all accounts, seems close with them.
Both children, who were adopted by the former couple, recently promoted their father’s new movie, “Top Gun: Maverick” on their social media platforms.
Connor and Isabella are active members of the Church Of Scientology.
“They are adults," Kidman said about their faith in 2018. "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."
Alice Kelly is YourTango’s Deputy News and Entertainment Editor. Based in Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.