Last week, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter, Suri Noelle, graduated from high school in New York City. Tom, meanwhile, was in London, watching Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour from the VIP tent. Tom reportedly hasn’t seen Suri since 2012 because, when her mother escaped from Tom, she also escaped from Scientology. Poor Nicole Kidman was labeled a Suppressive Person after their divorce, meaning Cruise and their two children, Isabella (“Bella”), 31, and Connor, 29, weren’t allowed to have any contact with her. That is most likely why Tom has not seen Suri in 12 years.
Bella and Connor largely stay out of the spotlight. They live their lives, occasionally posting to Instagram. As far as we know, they’re both still Scientologists. Once in a while, we see them in public with their dad, but sightings are few and far between. All three were spotted together late last year visiting the Tampa Bay Lightning ice hockey team, presumably to watch a game. On Friday, four days after Suri’s graduation, Tom and Connor were seen exiting a helicopter together in London.
Tom Cruise is spending some quality time with his son Connor. On Friday, June 28, the 61-year-old Top Gun: Maverick star was seen departing a helicopter in Central London, as his 29-year-old son followed behind.
The actor waved to onlookers as he wore a pair of sunglasses, jeans and an off-white fitted top. Connor, meanwhile, donned a navy baseball cap, a black hoodie, jeans and some athletic sneakers.
The rare public outing between the duo comes six months after another public appearance, when Cruise was spotted with both Connor and his older sister, Isabella “Bella,” 31.
Back in December, the trio were photographed together in an image shared on Instagram by former NFL player Derrick Brooks. In the photo, Cruise was front and center with his son, as his daughter poked her head through the back of the group image.
Cruise shares his two older kids with his ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, and shares his 18-year-old daughter Suri with his ex-wife, Katie Holmes. In October 2021, the Mission Impossible star was seen out with his son at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. Before then, the pair were photographed together in October 2019 in London.
While Bella often shares her artwork on Instagram, her brother tends to share glimpses of himself outside — and he usually updates fans with images involving golfing or fishing. His last Instagram post came in April 2023, when Connor shared a snap of himself at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. In the photo, Connor gave a thumbs-up to the camera and wore some nice golfing attire. “,” he captioned the image, his first since he shared a shot of himself and some fishing friends in 2022.
While Cruise’s eldest son has tried his hand at both acting and DJing, he isn’t often spotted in public these days.
“Connor has a pretty simple life in Clearwater,” a source told PEOPLE in 2018. “He lives in his own home in a Scientology community. His life is deep-sea fishing. He has a lot of friends and seems very well-liked.”
I did a little digging online and didn’t see any reporting on what Connor and Tom were doing prior or post departing said helicopter. Like their younger sister, Connor and Bella choose to live their lives out of the spotlight, so I will respect that, and not speculate too much about their lives other than what we’ve been publicly told. In 2016, Bella told the Australian website New Idea that she does speak with her mother. She actually goes by Bella Kidman Cruise now. Connor, like People says, still lives in a Scientology community in Clearwater, Florida (which is in Tampa Bay, hence why the Cruises were at a hockey game there). Something nice: For however terrible a father Tom was for Suri, it’s good that he shows up for Connor and Bella, even if we know it’s because they’re all in the same cult, so he’s “allowed” to be a part of their lives. As for Tom’s lack of a relationship with Suri, she may be better off, but the whole situation is still kinda sad. It didn’t have to be that way. Tom could have chosen to live his life differently.
photos credit: Backgrid, Daniel Leal / Avalon