Connor Cruise has grown up in the spotlight, which is no surprise, given he’s the son of two bona fide movie superstars. Connor made his media debut when he was just a newborn after Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman showed him off to the world following his adoption in 1995. Over the years, he’s had quite the transformation, going from a cute little baby boy to a big, strapping man.
Tom’s relationship with his son is airtight. However, after Kidman and Tom broke up in 2001, she appears to have become persona non grata, reputedly because of Connor and his sister Bella Cruise’s involvement in Scientology. “They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions,” Kidman told Who in November 2018. “They have made choices to be Scientologists, and as a mother, it’s my job to love them.”
Connor and Bella don’t do interviews. However, he made a rare exception when he talked to Women’s Day Australia in May 2014. Connor opened up about his relationship with Kidman and sort of shot down reports that they have no contact. “I love my mum,” he insisted (via Newsweek). “I don’t care what people say; I know that me and mum are solid. I love her a lot. My family means everything. Yeah, I love my music, but the family comes before everything else.” We’re taking a look at Connor’s journey from childhood to adulthood.
Baby Connor becomes a Cruise
Connor Cruise was weeks old when he was adopted by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in January 1995, two years after the couple had added his big sister, Bella Cruise, to the family. “From the minute Tom and I were married, I wanted to have babies,” Kidman told Vanity Fair in 2007. “And we lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic.”
Tom and Kidman strove to give their kids as normal of a childhood as possible. “They’re deliciously cheeky. You don’t want kids to be angels; you want them to have a spirit because it’s a tough world,” she said in 1999, according to the Daily Mail. “The kids are not treated with kid gloves. We try to keep them grounded. We may fly to LA on a private jet, but then when we’re in Britain, we’ll go to the Lake District, take a packed lunch, and go on a six-hour hike with the children on our backs.”
Meanwhile, despite his slew of box office blockbusters, Tom viewed fatherhood as the most important role of his life. “I’ll never forget the moment I became a dad,” he told Esquire in May 2010. “It’s hard to describe — that level of responsibility, the desire to give such joy. [And] the clarity: Nothing is more important than this.”
Young Connor deals with divorce
Connor Cruise was 6 when his parents split in 2001. They engaged in a bitter battle, eventually settling on joint custody. Their mom, Nicole Kidman, was snapped enjoying a Lakers game with Connor and Bella on Christmas Day in 2004. However, a year later, they were living full-time with their dad, Tom Cruise, in his Pacific Palisades mansion and being homeschooled by his sister Cass Mapother.
In 2006, Kidman married Keith Urban but continued to see her kids, at least initially. Bella and Connor attended the wedding, and he was spotted enjoying a cruise around Sydney Harbor with his new stepdad. The two had just visited their mom down under when she sat down with Vanity Fair in 2007. “Connor had the most brilliant time here,” Kidman said. “He had his hands dirty; he was with the horses.” They were even in the audience when Urban played a gig in LA in 2007.
However, as Connor and Bella became more entrenched in Scientology, their relationship with Kidman purportedly fractured. As noted by Closer, Leah Remini claimed in her biography, “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” that after Kidman divorced Tom, she was branded an “SP,” or suppressed person, by the church. Remini said when she asked Connor and Bella if they still saw Kidman, Bella replied, “Not if I can help it, she’s a f**king [suppressed person],” while Connor looked sadly out of the window.
Teenage Connor takes to the decks
Connor Cruise likes to live his life out of the spotlight. Still, he’s had his moments over the years. He made his movie debut when he was 13, appearing in the 2008 drama “Seven Pounds.” Connor played the young version of Will Smith’s character, Ben Thomas. “Tom is so proud of Connor. He’s proud of him for really doing this on his own,” a source told People. In 2012, Connor appeared in “Red Dawn.” However, that was the end of his short movie career. Instead, Connor channeled his energy into music.
He started making waves by spinning the decks for $10,000 a time. “I’m taking DJ-ing very seriously and playing more and more gigs. It’s something I plan on doing long-term,” Connor was overheard telling friends in March 2012, according to Page Six.
The teen released his debut single, “Closer to Heaven,” in 2013. “I was trying to make an upbeat commercial dance music track that makes you feel good and is more of an anthem,” he told Billboard. Connor said his appreciation for EDM went way back. “I have always loved house music since I was a little kid but when I saw Madeon at Coachella. That really inspired me to go fully into EDM and producing,” he shared.
Connor becomes the meat man
It’s clear from his Instagram feed that Connor Cruise is really crazy about three things: fishing, DJing, and travel. However, over time, the DJing was put on the back burner while Connor indulged in a new business venture: barbecue influencer.
“After many friends telling me I have finally decided to start a food IG @connorsmeatshack with my bestie @kimj526. Give it a follow if you like backyard steaks, bourbon, chicken, or really whatever we are feeling like that day,” he announced in June 2021 (via E! News). “Wagyu, brisket, burgers, chicken, and ribs on chars, flats, and smokers,” Connor’s Insta meat bio reads. The first post was a video of him creating “Smashburgers” on a grill with a meat press. There are also clips of Connor’s rotisserie chicken shawarma, Sunday prime rib, BBQ ribeye steak, and Wagyu brisket.
Meanwhile, although Nicole Kidman is seemingly estranged from her son, she’s still here for him — and his sister, Bella Cruise. “Motherhood is about the journey. There are going to be incredible peaks and valleys, whether you are an adopting mother or a birth mother. What a child needs is love,” Kidman told The Sun in September 2019. “They have made choices to be Scientologists. It’s our job as a parent to always offer unconditional love.”
Connor takes to the sea
When Connor Cruise isn’t throwing down his meat on the sizzling BBQ, he likes to take to the Sunshine State high seas and catch some fish. Connor is a deep-sea fishing fanatic, and his Instagram page is packed with photos and videos of him tackling and showing off giant vertebrates of all kinds from all over the world.
It’s an under-the-radar life, but it’s one that Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise’s son loves. “Connor lives in Clearwater, which is [Scientology’s] main hub. He still deejays, but he has really become a big fishing guy. He’s content with living a quieter life,” a source told People in 2018. It’s a sporting passion that stems back to Connor’s childhood. “We used to go fishing a lot when I was a little kid,” he told People in 2016. “I was blessed to travel the world as a young kid, and now I’m traveling the world working.”
Meanwhile, although Connor is never publicly spotted with Kidman, he does manage to find time to hang out with his dad. He posted a rare photo of the two playing a round of golf together at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, in April 2023.
