A Look At Janet Jackson And Tom Cruise's Unexpected Friendship

Tom Cruise has developed plenty of unexpected friendships over the years, from the royal family to his ex-wife's former boyfriend Jamie Foxx, and, as it turns out, Janet Jackson is also part of his clique. In fact, it seems these two are tighter than anyone may have realized.  

Interest in Cruise and Jackson's relationship first began in May 2023, when it was reported that the "Mission: Impossible" star was a fan. This, after another concert-goer at Jackson's Charlotte show for her "Together Again" tour shared videos of the actor in the crowd to Twitter. Speaking of his attendance at the show with ET the following month, Cruise was all smiles and confirmed that he was part of the JanFam. As such, he laughed that there was never a question of him being in the crowd. "Oh, I'm right in there ... Yeah! Come on, it's Janet!" he joked with his trademark enthusiasm. Cruise is definitely more than a fan of Jackson's, though. 

As became clear by the two of them hanging out after the show (more on that in a sec), the stars are friends. Perhaps not all that surprising: after all, they are both legends at their respective crafts and have been part of the scene for decades. However, what is surprising is just how well-guarded their relationship has been over the years. Especially because, with a little digging, we can confirm that they go way back. 

Just one day after the videos of Tom Cruise at the Janet Jackson show hit social media, the singer took to Instagram to share a picture of her own. It was a solo shout-out, too, as opposed to the photo dump of pics with Angela Bassett, Ciara, and Katie Holmes, among others, days prior. And, if that, coupled with the cozy pose, wasn't enough to confirm their friendship, her caption certainly was. Along with the image, the singer wrote, "T, it was so good seeing you and nice spending some time together." T!

Just over a month later, Cruise confirmed that "T" was, indeed, the nickname Jackson used for him — and insinuated that it was an honor reserved for Miss Jackson. Asked by ET if it was the moniker used by all those close to him, he quipped, "Look, she can call me whatever she wants. She's Janet Jackson." Fair enough. 

In the same interview, Cruise also revealed that he and Jackson had hung out while he was shooting "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" in England, where she lives with her son, Eissa Al Mana. In fact, it was there that he'd decided he had to see one of her shows. It certainly didn't disappoint — and the actor urged Janet fans to get tickets themselves. We stan a supportive friendship!

That Janet Jackson and Tom Cruise are pals may be news to us, but it certainly seems as though these two have been in each other's lives for a hot minute. Case in point: Back in January 2022, a Jackson fan account took to Twitter to share a throwback pic of them in what looks like a private setting, along with Cruise's ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. While the image itself is undated, Cruise and Kidman were together throughout the 90s until their 2001 divorce, so there's a ton of wiggle room. Either way, it's clear Jackson and Cruise have known each other for decades. 

It's worth noting that Jackson is unlikely to say much more about her friendship with Cruise other than her Instagram post. Aside from her well-documented friendship with Missy Elliot, the singer tends to stay mum on those in her life. In fact, as she revealed in her eponymous documentary, she doesn't tend to open up to many people for fear of them getting close for the wrong reasons (via The Irish Times). 

Cruise is certainly part of a select crew, then. Select enough to crack his very own shout-out, anyway! However, something tells us that even if they weren't buddies IRL, he'd still be a major fan.