Over the years, Tom Cruise has consistently been one of the most celebrated yet private celebrities in Hollywood. After all, while his fans might know the ins and outs of his impressive stunts in movies like Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, he’s managed to keep his private life very much under wraps. And, according to new sources, it all makes sense considering his ties to the Church of Scientology.
According to PR expert Evan Nierman to Us Weekly, Cruise has intentionally scaled back on his public involvement with Scientology since backlash against the Church increased in the past few years (largely due to Leah Remini’s accusations of harassment and abuse).
“I think Tom Cruise learned his lesson with the discussion and uproar around Scientology that happened many years ago,” Nierman told the outlet. “He’s been very effective at not shining a light on that and instead letting the power of his films and his stunt work speak for itself.”
Tom Cruise at the “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” U.S. premiere held at Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza on May 18, 2025, in New York, New York.
Kristina Bumphrey/Variety
With that said, sources say his newfound silence isn’t far from a sign that he’s distancing himself from the Church itself.
“[Tom’s] been in a decades-long bromance with a controversial man [current church leader David Miscavige],” Marc Headley, a former Scientologist and author of Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology, revealed. “Who cares if he still runs fast and jumps off stuff?”
“I suspect the more people knew about Tom Cruise’s close relationship with Scientology, the less they would spend supporting him and his activities,” Headley stated. And, from the looks of it, Cruise is well aware of it!
However, just last month, Cruise couldn’t avoid his involvement in the Church when a peaceful protest of former Scientology members took place right next to the red carpet for the premiere of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Their leader, 29‑year‑old Alex Barnes, who is publicly listed on Scientology’s websites as an enemy of the group, livestreamed the demonstration, which lasted roughly ten minutes before officers swooped in, cuffed protesters, and searched their bags.
Barnes later decried the incident as “a completely unnecessary and excessive use of police force which temporarily restricted our rights to peaceful protest,” per The Sun, noting that he’d been neither approached nor asked why he and his group had gathered. “It was absolutely not our intention to cause any sort of disruption. We just wanted to be heard.”
Before you go, click here to see celebrities who have left the Church of Scientology.
