The 'Mission: Impossible' star, Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors and has been in the industry for over 40 years. The actor has always attracted a fair share of controversial headlines over the years. He has remained in the spotlight being named in multiple controversies, one being the most infamous involvement with the Church of Scientology.
From jumping on the couch at Oprah Winfrey’s show to the recent audio leak where he was heard yelling at his staffers on the set of his next 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, to his former manager's statement accusing him of a “terrible temper”, Cruise has had stories around him.
As Cruise continues to make films, his outrageous behaviour has loomed over his long-spanning career. Read on for the list of controversies the actor has courted over the years.
Tom Cruise has been a staunch advocate of the 'Church of Scientology' since his first wife, Mimi Rogers converted him in 1986. His participation in the belief of Scientology was exposed by the tabloid Star in 1990. He publicly admitted his involvement in 1992.
Tom being a member of Scientology and promoting its ideologies has brought him a lot of flak, over the years. In 2008 a leaked video of him promoting Scientology with a background score of 'Mission: Impossible', triggered some controversy as he could be seen laughing without context and with uncontrolled passion.
Tom Cruise in May 2005 slammed actress Brooke Shields for using antidepressants and called her “irresponsible” for accepting it in her memoir ‘Down Came the Rain.’ This led to a rift between the two stars. Shields in her memoir spoke about how antidepressants have helped in healing postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter Rowan in 2003. In response to Cruise’s criticism, Shields said that Cruise should “stick to saving the world from aliens”.
This got dragged further when Cruise was asked about his view by journalist Matt Lauer in an interview on the show the 'Today', leading to a heated discussion about taking antidepressants. There is “no such thing as a chemical imbalance”, the actor said, adding that the medications increase the problem rather than cure it. Exercise and vitamin intake were better solutions to cure depression, he insisted and accused Lauer of being a “glib”, in the interview.
Actress Shields in an op-ed in The New York Times called Cruise’s comments a “disservice to mothers everywhere”. Later on 'The Tonight Show' with Jay Leno, she revealed that Cruise met her in her house and apologised.
