Unlike some other famous exes, Tom Cruise wasn’t willing to risk a seriously awkward run-in with his former wife Nicole Kidman at the Oscars, so he skipped the entire event!
You may have noticed the leading man was absent from the Academy Awards despite his film Top Gun: Maverick being up for Best Picture, among some other awards. Viewers were quick to assume he had stayed home after not receiving an acting nomination, but it turns out his decision to ditch the biggest night in Hollywood had nothing to do with his apparent snub and everything to do with his relationship troubles!
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On Tuesday, a new source for DailyMail.com revealed The Mummy star skipped the award show on Sunday night to “avoid an awkward run-in” with Nicole, whom he divorce over 20 years ago. She attended the event alongside her husband Keith Urban, though she wasn’t up for an award. The source explained:
“Tom was not there because she was there, and he did not want a run-in.”
Damn. Things must be really contentious between them still if he couldn’t bear to be in the same room at the same time as her despite the chance of winning a coveted trophy!
If you didn’t know, the pair first met on the set of their film Days of Thunder in 1990 and married at the end of the same year. Years later, they broke up in 2001, reportedly due to the American-Australian’s refusal to join the Church of Scientology. The religion tore their family apart, leaving Nicole with no relationship with their adopted shared kids Connor, 28, and Isabella, 30. Since Nicole refused to join the church, she was shunned by the community, labeled a “Suppressive Person”, and cut off from her family. In 2015, she opened up about her estranged relationship with her kids, telling 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.”
So tough!
Interestingly, sources close to Cruise insisted his absence was “not personal” and was simply due to scheduling conflicts. They did not reply to the rumors he didn’t show up because of his ex’s presence, but it does seem to be a pattern of his! Last month, Tom attended an Oscars luncheon — but only because the Big Little Lies alum wasn’t present. Despite their complicated history, it still sounds ridiculous to skip an award show just because an ex is there! Besides, the Top Gun cast was seated FAR away from everyone else. He wouldn’t have had to talk to Nicole if he didn’t want to!
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With this in mind, a source close to the actor claimed he attended the luncheon simply because “his schedule allowed it at the time” and that he had to skip the Academy Awards because he was busy in the UK filming Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning 2. He supposedly watched the ceremony from afar, another confidant added:
“[He’s] very pleased Maverick got such recognition and he is very proud of the film.”
They also declared he “did not skip the show because he was not nominated,” noting:
“Tom worked very hard on the film and has supported in every way that he can, work permitting.”
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was set to accept the award for Best Picture if they won, but the honor ultimately went to Everything Everywhere All At Once. Out of the six awards the movie was nominated for, it only earned one trophy for Best Sound. So, perhaps it wasn’t too bad Tom skipped! He wasn’t missing much… Reactions?! Sound OFF (below)!
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