The Untold Truth Of Suri Cruise
It's risky business being a celebrity baby, especially when your parents are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Perhaps it was the unexpectedness of Maverick from "Top Gun" and Joey from "Dawson's Creek" getting hitched and having a child together that made Suri Cruise an object of fascination while she was still in the womb — and the obsession just kept intensifying after she made her public debut on a Vanity Fair cover in 2006.
The obsession also took some odd turns. Have you ever stopped to wonder what became of the bronze sculpture inspired by Suri's "first poop?" Or whether the snarky blog inspired by TomKat's TomKitten, Suri's Burn Book, still exists? Well, the poo statue was purchased by the online casino Golden Palace for $10,000 and put on display in its museum of oddities, and the blog was last updated in 2020 with a photo of Suri wearing a "Vote" T-shirt.
You might also recall that Tom used to talk about his daughter often during her early years, like when he told Esquire that he entertained her with scripts rather than storybooks. "I'll start with the beginning of the movie and take her through the story beat by beat. Of course, I make it age-appropriate. She's four years old. But she asks all the right questions," he said. There are so many other compelling Suri stories to tell, so do you want her untold truth? Well, read on if you think you can handle her untold truth.
Suri Cruise shares her birthday with another celebrity baby
When Katie Holmes gave birth to Suri Cruise at St. John's Hospital on April 18, 2006, another expectant star was there awaiting the arrival of her little one: Brooke Shields. The model initially thought the helicopters hovering around outside were there for her. "I was like, 'This is an outrage! Who alerted the media? Can I just have a baby?'" Shields recalled on "The Jenny McCarthy Show." A nurse set her straight by saying, "Honey, it's not for you." If only Suri's Burn Book had existed back then.
Shields' lookalike daughter, Grier Henchy, was born on the same day as Suri. Because Tom Cruise and Shields were able to make nice after their depression meds disagreement, Suri reportedly scored an invite to Grier's first birthday party the following year. According to People, the two tots became such close confidants that they started hanging out regularly and wearing matching clothes. "Suri and Grier love spending time together. They even nap in the same crib," an insider dished.
By 2008, Suri had made friends with a few other celebrity offspring. People reported that she and her parents spent Thanksgiving that year with David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, and their four children. David and Victoria's son Cruz is just one year older than Suri, and it didn't take long for the National Enquirer to conjure up a story about Suri crushing on Cruz. "She lights up whenever he's around," a source told the tabloid.
The fashionista was her family's style supervisor
Perhaps you noticed that Suri Cruise was usually wearing skirts and dresses back when she was papped on the reg. According to her dad, there was a reason for this. "I'd put a pair of pants on her and the next minute I'd turn around and the pants are off and a dress is on," Tom Cruise told Grazia (via X17) in 2008. Apparently, Suri also found her mom's taste in trousers questionable. In a 2011 interview with Elle (via Huffpost), Kate Holmes revealed, "Today I'm wearing brown suede pants, and [Suri] said, 'I don't like your pants.'" She was lucky that Suri let her be seen out in public in them. "She won't let me leave unless I'm wearing what she wants me to wear," Holmes said on "Live with Regis and Kelly" in 2010 (via OK!). Tom Cruise told Oprah that Suri often picked out his outfits, too.
The red dress Holmes wore to the 2008 Met Gala seemingly met Suri's approval, but her choice of footwear did not. When allowed to work her magic, Holmes' mini-stylist settled on a pair of blue heels with pointy toes. "Suri made me put them on and so I was like, 'Okay, I trust you," Holmes recalled in a 2010 New York Magazine interview. The Met Gala theme that year was "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy," so perhaps the then-two-year-old realized that the red-and-blue combo would give her mom's look a Wonder Woman vibe.
She attended a school founded by a celeb couple
In 2011, Suri Cruise started kindergarten at the New Village Leadership Academy (NVLA) in Calabasas, a private school with some famous founders: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Students were reportedly allowed the luxury of learning at their own pace, which was a big benefit for a busy jet-setter like Suri; it meant that she could play hooky to attend New York Fashion Week with Katie Holmes without having to worry about getting behind in her studies.
There were whispers that the NVLA had ties to the Church of Scientology. In an interview with the Daily Beast, ex-Scientologist Leah Remini called it "a Scientology school," and former teachers claimed that students were taught using Scientology materials and methods. However, a rep for the NVLA told X17 that the academy was unaffiliated with Tom Cruise's religion. Jada didn't deny that the school's curriculum was heavily influenced by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's Study Technology teaching technique, but in a 2009 email to ABC News, she insisted, "Study Technology is a secular methodology."
There was speculation that Suri's schooling factored into TomKat's split. "[Suri] is coming to an age where she gets educated enough to get locked into the faith," a former Scientology official explained to the Independent in 2012 after Holmes filed for divorce. That same year, Holmes enrolled Suri in Avenues, a pricey Manhattan private school. A year after it lost its star pupil, the NVLA shut down.
Suri Cruise was bottle and binky-shamed
In 2008, some tabloids had readers questioning whether it was wrong for 2-year-old Suri Cruise to still be drinking out of a baby bottle. "Aren't you a bit old for that bottle, Suri Cruise?" read the title of a Daily Mail article that the toddler definitely read. ABC News, meanwhile, reminded its readers that the recommended age for eliminating bottle-feeding is 12 months and consulted with a medical professional who said that prolonged bottle use can cause dental problems. Suri was still hitting the bottle in 2009 — but this time, the 3-year-old thumbed her nose at the Suri-shamers by guzzling down some Pellegrino. The posh tot was even gripping her glass bottle with one hand.
Critics found another reason to pounce on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for their parenting decisions in 2011 when Suri was photographed with a pacifier in her mouth. She was five years old at the time, and pediatrician Dr. Ari Brown told Fox News that it was a bad idea for kids her age to still be using a binky because they might develop a bad habit. "They don't explore with hands, but instead put everything in their mouth and are therefore picking up a lot more germs," Brown said. Perhaps this explains why Suri was spotted gnawing on one of her flip-flops.
Sorry to Suri's haters, but she actually became a trendsetter; two other celeb kids, Harper Beckham and Moroccan Cannon, also used pacifiers past age 4.
Katie Holmes had to defend Suri Cruise's fashion choices
Suri Cruise taught us some valuable style lessons when her age was still in the single digits, such as how an Elmo doll is the ideal accessory for a red $285 Dolce and Gabbana coat. But one person who wasn't impressed with Suri's style was "Project Runway" host Tim Gunn. "She's her mother and father's dress up doll and I feel in many ways she's a fashion victim," he told Access (via Today) in 2010. He also said of Suri's famous toddler-sized high heels, "It's really inappropriate."
At age three, Suri misstepped on a wet Boston sidewalk and lost a silver heel. "Are you sure you're ready for heels, Suri?" the Daily Mail asked. After seeing photographs of Suri's Cinderella moment, podiatrist Dr. Oliver Zong told Fox News that her choice of footwear put her at risk of being injured. "A pair of heels that is too tight could damage the growing bones of her feet," he added. However, Katie Holmes told Access that Suri's shoes were designed to be safer to move in than your average heel. "They are actually ballroom dancing shoes for kids," she said.
Holmes also had to explain photos of Suri looking cold without a coat in freezing weather. She told InStyle that her daughter had simply refused to wear any of her many designer jackets. "I said, 'Suri, I'll take the hit. Just put it on when you get cold,'" she recalled (via E!).
Why she was photographed with age-inappropriate sweets
In 2011, Suri Cruise was photographed holding a box of candies that you might see used as a garnish for a naughty cocktail at a bachelorette party. The label on the box clearly said "Penis Gummies," an accurate description of the sweets' anatomical shapes. Katie Holmes was carrying Suri when the little girl grabbed the box from a shelf where other similar novelty items were displayed.
Holmes and her daughter were at the popular New York restaurant Serendipity 3, which is known for its decadent desserts; perhaps you've heard of its $1000 Golden Opulence Sundae, which is coated with gold leaf instead of a chocolate shell. During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Holmes said she was unaware that the eatery sold X-rated sweets as well. "We're waiting for a table, and she grabs some gummies that are 'boy part' gummies, and I was horrified!" she recalled (via Radar).
Holmes claimed that Serendipity 3 is a kid-oriented establishment, but Joe Calderone, a rep for the restaurant, told Radar that this is untrue. He also expressed concern that the gummies incident would make Holmes reticent to bring Suri there again. "Suri is the cutest and so well behaved and she's a princess," he said. However, she's also been photographed screaming over ice cream and sporting smeared chocolate on her face, so Holmes probably should have made sure to always keep a watchful eye over young Suri whenever there were sweets in the vicinity.
She was a big Disney princess fan
When Suri Cruise was born, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' spokesperson released a statement saying that one meaning for her unique name is "princess," and she certainly lived up to her monicker. Suri made her first visit to Disneyland in 2009, and Holmes said that getting to meet Disney royalty was a highlight of the experience for the child. "She loves the princesses," she told Us Weekly. "Actually, she loves being a princess."
Suri got the princess treatment for her third birthday that year when her parents presented her with a "Beauty and the Beast" cake, and she rocked a Princess Belle hoodie over a Princess Jasmine costume during a 2013 trip to Disney World in Florida. The year prior, her dad had arranged for her to have the ultimate Disney princess fan experience: staying in the theme park's Cinderella's Castle Suite. According to People, the suite can't be reserved by anyone, so Tom likely had to receive a special invitation from Disney.
According to Tom's "Knight and Day" castmate Cameron Diaz, young Suri didn't just admire the House of Mouse's royal family. "Suri does know I'm Princess Fiona. I'm not going to speak for her, but yes, I think she does [love Shrek]," Diaz told People (via the Belfast Telegraph) in 2010. But by 2016, Suri was embracing democracy over monarchy; on "Today Show Radio," Holmes said that it pained her little princess that Hillary Clinton had lost the presidential election.
She lost her dog after pouting over a puppy
In July 2012, a seriously sad moment for Suri Cruise was immortalized by the intrusive lens of the pack of paparazzi that trail her everywhere. The Daily Mail published photos of Suri pouting as she was seemingly told that she couldn't take home an adorable puppy from Citipup in NYC. She reportedly left the pet store in tears, and just think of the life of luxury that poor pup missed out on when Katie Holmes taught her daughter that she can't have everything that she wants.
It turns out that Holmes couldn't hold out forever. However, she decided to adopt, not shop, when she allowed Suri to welcome a new fur baby into their home in 2014. Unfortunately, Suri's rescue Chihuahua, Honey, went missing mere weeks after her adoption. According to TMZ, Honey escaped through a gate while Suri was swimming with her at the Beverly Hills home of a friend. Desperate to be reunited with her beloved dog, Suri put posters up in the neighborhood promising a reward of $1,000 for her safe return.
Don't worry — this lost pet story has a happy ending. The employees of a local dog rescue found the lucky pooch just a few days after she went missing, per TMZ, and as of 2020, Suri was still being a responsible dog owner by taking Honey and another cute canine out for walks.
She discovered a passion for performing
By age three, Suri Cruise had already started taking tap dancing and ballet lessons. "I think she's going to do a lot of different things. She's an amazing athlete, singer, and dancer, and I think she'll probably be an actress," her mom predicted to InStyle in 2011 (via Today). She reportedly made at least one attempt at learning how to play an instrument as well. A source told Page Six that Suri spoke to Broadway actor Alex Brightman after watching him perform in "School of Rock: The Musical" in 2016, and she told him that she tried taking guitar lessons at some point. However, she ended up firing her instructor. "She said she was 'a very nice person,' but that it didn't work out," the insider revealed.
In 2014, Katie Holmes spoke to People about the nurturing home environment she had created for Suri. "I also try to be very creative with her, because I know she's an artist," she said. There was some evidence that the loving mom's emphasis on the arts was paying off in December 2023 when Suri landed a major role in a school play. According to Page Six, she was cast in "The Addams Family: A New Musical" as Morticia Addams, a role previously immortalized by Carolyn Jones, Anjelica Huston, Daryl Hannah, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. "She was amazing," said one play attendee. Perhaps Holmes's prediction about her daughter's future profession is spot-on.
Was Suri Cruise spoiled as a young child?
Perhaps because her parents have admitted to indulging at least some of her whims, there have been many rumors about just how lavish Suri Cruise's life really is. "Whatever she wants to wear, she wears it. I'm not going to tell her different," Tom Cruise said on "Oprah." And in 2008, a source told E! News that Suri didn't just do as she pleased when it came to picking out her trendy apparel. "[Tom] does whatever Suri wants. He defers to her on everything," the insider claimed. According to a 2010 report by Star Magazine (via Hollywood Life), Suri's nannies also had to let her have her way, from allowing her to practice her makeup application skills on their faces to serving her sweets in the middle of the night.
While tabloid tales aren't always true, there is photographic evidence that Suri's parents didn't treat her like a typical toddler; instead of toting around an inexpensive purse from the toy section of a big-box retailer, she was bringing a Salvatore Ferragamo handbag worth $750 with her on a helicopter trip. But according to Holmes, her daughter doesn't spend all day shopping and ordering nannies around. "If she doesn't get her chores done, I notice she's not really herself," she told Marie Claire in 2010. "She has to make her bed, she has to take her dishes to the sink, she has to put her clothes in the laundry."
The last time she was seen with her dad
One month after Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's five-year marriage ended in 2012, Tom took Suri Cruise to Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park in Florida. He was photographed being an attentive dad during the outing — there were smiles aplenty as he and Suri splashed around in a pool, and he made their time together even more fun by tossing her up in the air. In 2016, Us Weekly reported that the father and daughter hadn't been spotted together again since then.
When Tom took Bauer Media Group to court over an In Touch report claiming that he had "abandoned" Suri, he was forced to admit that his involvement with the Church of Scientology was a contributing factor in Holmes' decision to divorce him. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he confirmed in a 2013 deposition that Holmes felt like she needed to shield Suri from the religion.
While Holmes has remained tight-lipped about Tom's relationship with Suri — or lack thereof — she did make the unusual move of having her rep deny a 2014 report claiming that Suri had visited her dad on Christmas Day. "[Holmes] and Suri spent Christmas afternoon visiting children at a local hospital in L.A.," the rep told E! News. Almost a decade later, a source told Page Six that Suri and her father were still estranged and had been for a long while.
Her mom took advantage of her singing talent
When Suri Cruise was just two years old, Tom Cruise told Extra that she was fond of singing. In an alternate universe, maybe the father and daughter would have performed together in a "Rock of Ages" sequel — in an interview with the Mirror, Cruise did say that one reason he wanted to play a rocker is because Suri and her mom both love musicals (via NDTV). But it was Katie Holmes who would eventually convince Suri to showcase her vocal talent in one of her projects.
Suri sings the wistful classic "Blue Moon" in "Alone Together," a 2022 film written and directed by her mom. However, she doesn't appear in the movie; her vocals are featured in its opening credits. In an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, Holmes praised her daughter's performance by giving her the type of effusive compliment that will make teens roll their eyes. "I always want the highest level of talent, so I asked her!" the proud mom gushed.
The end credits of Holmes' 2023 movie "Rare Objects" also feature Suri's singing, and if her mom gets her way, we'll be hearing a lot more of it in the future. "I hope she always does something on my films," Holmes told Glamour. "I always ask her. ... It was very meaningful to me to have her there, because she's my heart."
Suri Cruise is a Swiftie
There was once a rumor that Taylor Swift was going to star alongside Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages," but it was Katie Holmes that she ended up working with. After starring alongside Swift in the 2014 movie "The Giver," Holmes had nothing but praise for the pop powerhouse. "She is awesome ... I love that girl," she told Extra. "I just think she is so smart. She's so young, really brilliant and works very, very hard." In other words, she's exactly the type of role model a mom would want her tween to have.
We're betting that Holmes scored some major brownie points with Suri when she allowed her to help introduce Swift to the crowd at Z100 New York's 2017 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, per ET. For the occasion, Suri wore a blue star-print dress that looked like something Swift herself might pick out. While holding hands with her daughter, Holmes said, "She's one of our favorite performers and who is it tonight?" Suri then enthused, "Taylor Swift!"
Suri might be angling for a Girl Squad spot these days, but there was a time when the apparent pop music fan was all about that girl power. Thanks to her mom's friendship with Victoria Beckham, she got to meet the Spice Girls in 2007. The girl group even performed for Suri, Holmes, and Tom Cruise. "Suri danced along to the music," read a post on the band's website.
Suri Cruise has seen Dawson's Creek
Katie Holmes didn't wait for Suri Cruise's high school years to be over to show her "Dawson's Creek." Holmes was 18 when she began playing Joey Potter in the hit teen soap, and Suri was approaching that age when she was forced to confront the burning question: Team Dawson or Team Pacey? Holmes told Variety that Suri started watching the series sometime after the pandemic hit, so she was either 13 or 14. "I think it's probably weird since she's a teenager," Holmes said. "I'm not like, 'You need to watch mommy's work.'" (Remember, Holmes used to date her co-star Joshua Jackson, so that had to add an extra layer of weirdness to Suri's viewing experience.) Some teens might react to watching their mom pretend to fall in love and lust by becoming unbearably embarrassed, but Holmes recalled, "We had a good laugh about it."
Before Suri decided to check out a TV time capsule of the late '90s and early aughts, she became a big fan of a far different entertainment genre: movie musicals. One of her favorites starred a famous Scientologist who was not her father. "My daughter has seen ["Hairspray"] 15 times," Tom Cruise told the Los Angeles Times in 2011. Suri also loved watching the 1999 made-for-TV "Annie" movie. Recalling a conversation he had with Holmes, one of the film's stars, Victor Garber, said to People (via Huffpost), "She's seen it sixty times because of her daughter."
She enjoys doing many activities with her mom
Katie Holmes' relationship with Suri Cruise is the stuff that dramedies about an unbreakable mother-daughter bond are made of. "I love her so much," Holmes told InStyle (via People). "My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able."
Holmes and Suri are pretty inseparable. They've attended many Broadway shows together, including "Cats" and "Finding Neverland," and sometimes Holmes takes her daughter backstage to meet the casts of the plays. Don't think for a second that Suri is growing out of wanting to spend time with her mom, either; she was photographed helping Holmes celebrate her 45th birthday in 2023.
When Holmes opens up about what she and Suri enjoy doing together, she often describes activities they do at home. In a 2013 Us Weekly interview, she shared that she and Suri like to make their own bouquets for Valentine's Day, and she told Amazing Magazine (via the Daily Mail) that they cooked and worked on quilts during lockdown. She and Suri even exercise together sometimes. "But I don't force her to work out with me because I know that's lame," Holmes said in a 2022 interview with Shape. In addition to being Suri's bestie, Holmes tries to be a good mom by leading by example. She told People, "Between tickle fights and glitter art, I try to throw in some manners along the way."