Category: Tom Cruise

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donald trump Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise turned down Donald Trump’s offer of a Kennedy Center Honor

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Tom Cruise is at that stage of his life and career where he’s picking up lifetime achievement awards at a steady clip. He will receive an honorary Oscar at this year’s Governors Awards. I imagine the Golden Globes will offer him the Cecil B. DeMille Award at some point. He’s probably in line for a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in the next few years as well. Well, Tom has never been offered the Kennedy Center Honors before now. Before this year, the Kennedy Center usually picks people well into their 60s, 70s and 80s, so I would assume they always believed that they would have time enough to honor Tom. But now that Donald Trump and his MAGA cultists have taken over the Kennedy Center, Trump decided that this year, he needed to give an award to Tom. Tom said “nope.”

Tom Cruise reportedly declined to be among the first group of Kennedy Center Honorees during President Donald Trump’s second term. Cruise, 63, was offered but declined due to “scheduling conflicts,” several current and former Kennedy Center employees told The Washington Post on Wednesday, Aug. 13.

A spokesman for Cruise declined to comment to the Post. PEOPLE also reached out to a rep for the actor, but has not heard back.

Trump, 79, ramped up efforts to take control of the Kennedy Center arts complex earlier this year. George Strait, KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor and Sylvester Stallone make up the 2025 class of honorees. The ceremony will take place on Dec. 7 and will later air on CBS and stream on Paramount .

While unveiling the recipients at the Kennedy Center’s Hall of Nations, Trump said he was “very involved” in picking the group.

“I would say I was about 98 percent involved. They all went through me,” the president said, per the Post. “… I had a couple of wokesters. Now, we have great people. This is very different than it used to be, very different.”

[From People]

I think there was probably an assumption among the MAGA-installed board of the Kennedy Center that Tom would be open to it, especially coming from them. But no, Tom is not interested in this sh-tshow. It’s another reminder of just how much Trump has defiled – he handed out presidential medals of freedom to every Republican lunatic he could find, and now he’s trying to do the same with the Kennedy Center.

Also, during the announcement for the honors this week, Trump revealed why he’s been obsessed with the Kennedy Center – it’s because he wanted to be honored. He said: “Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been among the most prestigious awards in the performing arts. I wanted one. I was never able to get one. I waited and waited and waited, and I said, ‘The hell with it. I’ll become chairman.’ I’ll give myself an honor. Maybe… next year we’ll honor Trump.” This is pathetic.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Ana de Armas Dating Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise & Ana de Armas held hands during a romantic getaway to Vermont

tom-cruise-&-ana-de-armas-held-hands-during-a-romantic-getaway-to-vermont

For months and months, Ana de Armas and Tom Cruise have been stepping out together, mostly in London. Tom is now UK-based, and they’ve been seen at various London restaurants and coming and going from Tom’s fleet of helicopters and planes. Some people, including Ana, suggested that this was all a professional relationship, even a mentorship. Some suggested that they both wanted the “are they dating?” headlines for their separate film promotions this year. But the promotions are over, and Tom and Ana are still being seen together. Tom took her to Vermont this past weekend, where they were photographed holding hands. This explains Ana’s shady “like” for that nasty Nicole Kidman Instagram. But VERMONT?

Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas’ newest mission, should they choose to accept it? A small-town date. Following the pair’s outing to Oasis’ sold-out reunion show in London on July 25, they flew back across the pond and touched down in Woodstock, Vermont, in pictures obtained by TMZ. It was there that their rumored romance was finally confirmed, with the pair holding hands as they walked the quaint streets.

According to TMZ, the Mission Impossible star and Ballerina actress drove through a national park together, went shopping and stopped for ice cream—all hand in hand.

E! News has reached out to reps for both Tom and Ana for comment but has not yet heard back.

The subtle PDA comes after months of apparent dates. Since stepping out together on Valentine’s Day in Madrid, Tom and Ana have since spent time together in London on multiple occasions—Tom flying the Knives Out alum there on a helicopter, in one instance—and enjoyed a sun-filled getaway on the Spanish island of Menorca.

[From E! News]

Say what you will about Tom’s leadership position in a dangerous cult, but the man does know how to court a woman. He’s been laying the groundwork for months, showing Ana the best parts of his life and all of the access he has. And then jetting her off to Vermont? Did they go antiquing? Did they go for a romantic hike? Did they stay in a charming bed & breakfast? He knows how to plan a date and a romantic getaway. Too bad about the dangerous cult.

Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas appear to FINALLY be confirming their rumored romance ????

DETAILS: https://t.co/bVrYMGyTMp pic.twitter.com/VFCd50z01E

— TMZ (@TMZ) July 29, 2025

Top 8 Forgotten Celebrity Couples

There have been so many wild and random celebrity hookups over the years. Get the top 8 stories about forgotten celebrity couples when you sign up for our mailing list! – Katie at Celebitchy



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Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Brad Pitt Ines de Ramon Tom Cruise

Brad Pitt posed with Ines de Ramon & Tom Cruise at the London ‘F1’ premiere

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Every single part of the F1 promotion is giving me second-hand embarrassment. A 61-year-old wife-beater trying to play-act the hip young action star, with his much younger beck-and-call girl on his arm for strategic photo-ops and nothing more. And now Brad Pitt has roped in Tom Cruise! These photos are from last night’s London premiere of F1. Tom Cruise pretty much lives in England full-time, and he ended up coming out for this premiere. I think Tom’s decision was less about Brad and more about the F1 team, which sounds like pretty much the entire team from Top Gun: Maverick. Tom and Brad have had beef for years – they didn’t get along at all when they made Interview with a Vampire, but they’ve buried the hatchet, it seems.

Solely judging from the paparazzi photos in New York last week, it really felt like Ines de Ramon did not fly out of New York at the same time as Brad. Which is more evidence to our growing theory that her contract (??) must stipulate “no air travel with Brad Pitt.” She likely flew solo to London just to attend this premiere with him. I wonder if she used British stylists too – her styling is so different in these pics than when she’s appeared with him in America. Her gown in these photos is Fendi, and she carried a Fendi bag (the Nano Baguette). She’s way too young for him.

As for Brad and his green double-breasted suit and scarf… he’s been trying to make the vintage Robert Evans look happen and it just doesn’t work. Arguably, Brad had “it” at some point, many years ago. But he’s lost “it.” I hope this movie bombs so hard. *fingers crossed*

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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Debbie Allen Dolly Parton Oscars Tom Cruise

Dolly Parton, Tom Cruise and Debbie Allen to receive honorary Oscars

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As CB noted the other day, I had finished writing up my thoughts on Lucasfilm studio head Kathleen Kennedy lobbying hard for her business daddy, Disney CEO Bob Iger, to be given an honorary Oscar, when the Academy went ahead and announced this year’s awardees (none of whom were named Bob Iger). And the four recipients who will be feted at the Governors Awards in November are: production designer Wynn Thomas, actor/director/choreographer Debbie Allen, singer/songwriter/actor Dolly Parton, and actor/producer/stuntman/cult member Tom Cruise. Guess years of handing out all those Christmas coconut cakes has now paid off for Tom! Here’s more on the honorees:

Academy president, Janet Yang, called them “four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our film-making community continue to leave a lasting impact” in a statement.

The honorary Oscars are given “to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy”.

It will mark Cruise’s first Oscar after the actor has been nominated on four occasions for performances in Born on the Fourth of July, Magnolia and Rain Man, and for producing best picture nominee Top Gun: Maverick. This year has seen him returning to the role of Ethan Hunt in the eighth Mission: Impossible film.

Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award to recognise how she has brought “credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities”. Previous winners have included Richard Curtis, Michael J Fox, Tyler Perry and Angelina Jolie.

The singer and actor has previously been nominated for two Oscars for best original songs from 9 to 5 and Transamerica.

Allen has previously won five Emmys and been nominated for two Tony awards. She is known for starring in Fame and Grey’s Anatomy and also for directing and producing with credits including A Different World, Empire and Insecure. She has also worked as a choreographer for the Oscars ceremony on multiple occasions.

As production designer, Thomas’s credits include films such as Hidden Figures, Do the Right Thing, Da 5 Bloods, A Beautiful Mind and Malcom X. In a statement, Yang said that he has brought “some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft”.

[From The Guardian]

I can’t lie, when I first saw the list I wrote to CB right away and said, “Ugh, not Xenu Cruise!” Look, I understand how he qualifies; he’s been in the business for 40 years, he’s a prolific producer, he’s known for giving astute advice to colleagues, and he advocates for people going to the theater to see movies. These are all great qualities that have made for a long, fruitful career. I just can’t look past the Scientology of it all. To me, it undercuts all of his good works, as I’ve commented here before. (And ok yes, I also hold a grudge against him for the way he treated Nicole Kidman during their divorce.)

But I have no reservations whatsoever in giving my full-throated congratulations to Wynn Thomas, Debbie Allen, and Dolly Parton! And yes, The Guardian wrote that correctly, Dolly has been nominated for Best Original Song only twice, and never won. “Travelin’ Thru,” the song she wrote for Transamerica, is a gorgeous song that I still listen to regularly. It lost to “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” which is the perfect illustration of apples and oranges. Those songs cannot be compared! And to tie everything together, guess what “9 to 5” lost to? “Fame,” from the film starring Debbie Allen.

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Photos credit: Jimmy James/Avalon, Cover Images, Jules Annan/Avalon, Getty Images for Netflix, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Backgrid

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Cults Leah Remini Scientology Tom Cruise

Leah Remini: Can you imagine Tom Cruise without Scientology doing his dirty work?

leah-remini:-can-you-imagine-tom-cruise-without-scientology-doing-his-dirty-work?




Leah Remini has had a lot going on in her personal life the last few years. Her daughter went off to college, Leah herself enrolled at NYU for a liberal arts associate’s program, she sued the Church of Scientology for harassment and defamation, and she and her husband divorced after 21 years of marriage. That’s a lot! So it’s no surprise that she’s been pretty quiet lately. But she’s speaking up now, and the timing couldn’t be better. Just as Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning is breaking box office records, Leah is here to remind us that the stunt queen is A) still a Scientologist, and B) hugely benefiting from the “church” doing extensive dirty work on his behalf, to keep his reputation (and ego) squeaky clean. Well played, Leah. I’d call that mission accomplished. Furthermore, Leah tells Us Weekly that she doubts Tom Cruise could function “in the real world” without COS covering his ass.

But even after more than a decade of speaking out, the actress says the Church still holds a powerful grip on some of Hollywood’s biggest names, many of whom continue to stay silent or benefit from the institution’s vast resources. At the top of that list, she says, is Tom Cruise, who remains the Church’s most prominent ambassador — and, according to Remini, its most protected. “Can you imagine Tom being in a normal world? Like, without Scientology doing his dirty work for him? No,” she tells Us Weekly of the Mission: Impossible star, who maintains a close friendship with Church leader David Miscavige.

Remini claims Cruise has long relied on Scientology to protect his public image, with the organization going as far as to orchestrate his breakup with former girlfriend Nazanin Boniadi in the mid-2000s and suppress damaging media coverage. “He’s given enormous power,” she tells Us. “This man who has a multi-million-dollar organization using all its resources to stop a book being written about him.”

According to Remini, when her Aftermath cohost Mike Rinder, a former senior member of the Church, left in 2007, he took thousands of documents with him. Among those, she alleges, there were “hundreds” demonstrating how Cruise’s team worked to shut down news stories — even people planning to fly skywriting over a movie premiere. “They used all kinds of resources because they couldn’t risk Tom’s precious eyes seeing that,” she adds.

…In recent years, both Cruise and [John] Travolta have been noticeably quieter about their beliefs, but Remini doesn’t think that signals a change of heart. “They’re being exposed for what they truly believe in,” she says. “And they realized, ‘We better shut up, or we’re not going to have careers.’ But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still in full agreement with what the Church does.”

Asked if she believes any of these celebrity members will ever walk away, Remini doesn’t sound hopeful. “I used to hope a lot of these people would leave,” she admits. “But I kind of feel like they need Scientology. I don’t know if they’d make it in the real world.”

[From Us Weekly]

Again, thank you Leah for these timely comments. I’m a bitch who holds a grudge, so whenever I see Tom Cruise pop up I can’t get past his Scientology association, let alone his status at the top of that cult. But he is savvy, and Cruise conducts himself in a way that makes it easy for people to turn a blind eye to COS. LaineyGossip had a nuanced take a couple weeks ago, noting how Cruise will show up to press junkets early and make time to speak with everyone in the line. “That’s what makes talking about Tom Cruise complicated for some members of the media. He’s a weirdo, no doubt. But if a weirdo has shown you a kindness, it’s hard to forget.” Bingo. And there’s plenty more acts of generosity Cruise does, like mentoring up-and-comers, or his infamous Christmas coconut cake list. And hey, these thoughtful traits may genuinely be part of his personality. But it’s also a pretty slick tactic for shielding himself from Scientology heat. And like Leah said, I don’t think Cruise is ever leaving COS at this point.

Switching topics, can someone please explain to me the “haircut” Cruise has sported the last several years? It isn’t his worst offense, but still…

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Ana de Armas Tom Cruise

Even ‘sources’ don’t believe that Tom Cruise & Ana de Armas are really dating

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Last week, the cast of Mission: Impossible 8 – The Final Reckoning went to Tokyo for one of their first stops on what will probably be a grueling, months-long promotional tour. If Tom Cruise is going to do anything, it’s run a cast ragged, all to promote their film in every city in the world. The MI films are Tom’s baby – he loves playing Ethan Hunt, he loves doing all of this bonkers stunt work, and he loves this franchise so much. Obviously, Tom has been playing this game for decades and he knows how to work a promo tour. Which is why it’s no surprise that Tom is suddenly being seen everywhere with Ana de Armas. Every week for the past three months, it feels like they’re being spotted by paparazzi, usually in London. It’s always just one pap who sells the photos as mega-exclusives too, so suspicious! So what’s up? Just a little dash of spice for Tom’s MI promo? Or something more?

Last Saturday, Ana de Armas and Tom Cruise were on something of a mission impossible. The two were trying to covertly move through London after attending David Beckham’s 50th birthday at the Michelin-starred restaurant Core in tony Notting Hill. It wasn’t exactly a successful endeavor. Hollywood’s biggest action movie star, 62, and the Cuban actress, 37, were snapped by paparazzi in the backseat of a black SUV leaving the party. In one photograph, Cruise looks at the camera and nonchalantly flashes his famous pearly whites, while de Armas ducks down so that her face can’t be seen.

The picture is the latest incident involving the stars to set tongues wagging and generate speculation about a possible romance. They “had a blast” at the event, “they came together and had a great night and clearly enjoy hanging out,” a fellow partygoer at the Beckham birthday bash told Page Six. “But I couldn’t say any more than that … I’ve no proof it’s romantic.”

The source added that Cruise was “so cool, so nice to everyone” at the high-wattage soiree, which was also attended by Guy Ritchie, Eva Longoria and Gordon Ramsay. “He’s a proper movie star,” they added.

Whatever they are or aren’t, it’s sure to be an action-packed summer for them both. Cruise stars in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”— the franchise’s eighth installment, out May 23. De Armas will be at the multiplex soon after, starring as a ballerina assassin in “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” — the fifth “John Wick” movie, out June 6.

A source who worked with De Armas on “Ballerina” told Page Six their public sightings may be more professional than personal.

“I’m sure if they’re friends he’s mentored her. I’m sure she’s called him for advice,” the source told Page Six. “I’m sure they conversed on [things like] ‘this is how the stunt guys do it.’ I’m sure he gives her a lot of tips — he’s a legend in the stunt world.”

[From Page Six]

If Ana is doing all of this with her eyes wide open, good for her. She’s showing some hustle, she’s showing that she knows how to play the game, and if Tom is really mentoring her, she’ll learn a lot from his tutelage. I wonder if they’ll both raise the stakes though – the only thing keeping this Tom & Ana story from really becoming major gossip is that no one really believes that they would seriously date each other. It’s always like “hey, that’s weird, Tom and Ana keep going out, I bet they’re just friends!” Before MI8 comes out in a few weeks, do you think they’ll up the ante? Maybe get “caught” leaving a hotel together? Maybe a paparazzo will catch them kissing in the back of a taxi?

Incidentally, Ana was asked about Tom this week, and she was basically like… we’re planning on working together. She suggested that there is some kind of professional mentorship too.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.

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Cannes: Tom Cruise got a lengthy standing ovation for his last ‘MI’ film

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Cannes Day 2 was all about the huge premiere event for Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning. Tom Cruise hasn’t done a Cannes rollout since 2022, when he premiered Top Gun: Maverick at the festival and that film “saved” the movie theater industry. Tom was so pleased to bring the MI folks to Cannes, he was soaking it all up and making sure everyone got a photo and everyone got a handshake. This is his last go-around as Ethan Hunt, and the Cannes audience gave Tom a five-to-seven-minute standing ovation. Which really isn’t that long? The Cannes audience would give a roast beef sandwich a five-minute standing O.

Tom Cruise said goodbye to “Mission: Impossible” at #Cannes as ‘The Final Reckoning” earned a five-minute standing ovation.https://t.co/cwsNOXV0IC pic.twitter.com/HValuPY0ca

— Variety (@Variety) May 14, 2025

Tom also loves having female costars – he loves nothing more than “presenting” an actress for photos, and whispering in his costar’s ear on the carpet. On this MI film, he had plenty of ladies to present to the photographers: Hayley Atwell, Angela Bassett, Hannah Waddingham and Pom Klementieff. Of that group, he has the most affection for Hayley and Pom. He treats Angela with respect, like his equal and beloved colleague. I would assume he didn’t want to pose with Hannah because she’s so tall?

Some fashion notes for the ladies. Hayley wore Giambattista Valli, a striking red look with an exaggerated peplum. I like that she wanted the dress to be the drama and she went subdued with hair and makeup.

Angela Bassett wore Burberry – so much fringe! I think the fringe works on the skirt but not on the sleeves.

Hannah Waddingham in a custom Pamella Roland – I think tea-length was wrong for the Cannes premiere. She should have gone with a full-length gown. She has the figure for pretty much anything, so I don’t know why she’s doing tea-length so much right now.

Pom Klementieff’s Loewe gown actually had great movement, and it was sexy from certain angles. But from other angles, it just looked bad.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.