It seems like we here at Gossip Cop are always coming across rumors claiming that the Mission Impossible actor is trying to recruit various celebrities to Scientology. We decided to take a second look at a few select stories to determine whether or not we made the right call with our judgement.
Miles Teller and Glenn Powell were reportedly pitched on Scientology by Cruise while the actors were filming Top Gun: Maverick, according to the Globe. The disreputable outlet claimed that Cruise had been “barraging” the younger actors with Scientology teachings whenever the cameras weren’t rolling. “They like Tom and they’re thrilled to be working with him, but he does come off as too overbearing sometimes,” a so-called “source” explained.
This story didn’t sit right with Gossip Cop. Cruise has worked on dozens of movies over the years, but none of his co-stars ever claimed the actor had ever tried to pressure them into joining Scientology. To double-check our hunch, we reached out to sources involved in the production of Top Gun: Maverick and received word that the tabloid’s tale was absolutely false.
Tom Cruise isn’t the only member of his family to be accused of recruitment. Last year, Woman’s Day Australia reported that Katie Holmes was afraid her former step-daughter, Bella, would attempt to recruit her daughter Suri to Scientology. “Bella helped raise Suri when she was a little girl — they adored each other,” a supposed source told the outlet. “Katie knows Suri will never forget the bond they shared when they were a happy family. She’s concerned Bella and Tom might make the most of that bond now that Suri’s older.”
Before we dove into our bust, Gossip Cop pointed out that Cruise and Suri had been estranged from each other for some years now and that there was no evidence that the young girl had any sort of relationship with her older half-sister. We reached out to Holmes’ spokesperson for answers on this story, and we were told it was totally untrue. Just another case of a tabloid making up stories.
Months later, NW reported that Tom Cruise was “begging” Demi Moore to be his “Scientology bride.” An unnamed tipster told the supermarket tabloid, “The chemistry between them is sizzling, but what gets Tom and his Scientology pals excited is the prospect of immersing Demi into the teachings of the church.” The source goes on to claim that Moore and Cruise had been enjoying a series of secret dates, but these rendezvous always included “lectures” about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Once again, Gossip Cop smelled something rotten, so we reached out to our own impeccable source close to the situation and were assured that this tale was completely phony. It seems like the only reason this story was published in the first place was because Moore offhandedly mentioned Cruise while telling a story on The Howard Stern Show about how she’d failed an audition to co-star alongside him in Top Gun.
No tabloid roundup is complete without a wild rumor about the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. That same publication claimed earlier this year that Tom Cruise was gunning to recruit Markle for Scientology. After Markle supposedly reached out to him through mutual friend Oprah, Cruise told the Duchess all about Scientology and how it saved his life.
When she expressed interest, an alleged source told the outlet, “He encouraged her to sign up to the Church’s introductory program, simply to open her mind and learn more about it.” The seemingly phony insider added, “Meghan’s very spiritual and spends a lot of time seeking answers through various religions. She’s always been interested in the teachings of Scientology.”
None of this is remotely true. Gossip Cop wanted to get to the bottom of this story quickly, so we reached out to our source close to Meghan Markle. Though the source could speak on the record, we were assured there was zero truth to this story. Tabloids really will write anything to get people to read their lie-filled pages, even if it involves making up stories about Tom Cruise’s on-set behavior.