Tom Cruise Skipped Oscars ‘To Avoid Meeting Nicole Kidman’

Tom Cruise skipped the Oscars on Sunday to “avoid an awkward encounter” with Nicole Kidman, DailyMail.com has learned exclusively.

Insiders said the Top Gun: Maverick star was not at the ceremony because his ex-wife was there, following their bitter divorce more than 20 years ago.

Cruise and Kidman broke up in 2001, reportedly because she refused to join him in the Church of Scientology.

But sources close to Cruise revealed that he was unable to attend due to a conflicting schedule while filming Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning 2 in Britain.

Picture perfect: Kidman and Urban couldn’t keep their hands off each other at the Oscars, which their estranged ex-Scientologist didn’t attend.

They shot down the idea that Cruise didn’t show up because Kidman was there, or that he didn’t show up because he wasn’t personally nominated.

“Tom’s absence from the Oscars was not a personal thing, and despite what the word is, he didn’t skip the show because he wasn’t nominated,” Cruise’s confidante said.

“He’s in the UK filming Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning 2. Tom was very pleased that Maverick got such recognition, and he’s also very proud of the film.”

In fact, he saw the awards last night. Tom worked very hard on the film and has been as supportive as he can, as long as the job allows.’

As for why she attended the February 13 luncheon that Kidman wasn’t at, the source added, “She was at the Oscars luncheon because her schedule allowed at the time.”

At lunch a month ago, legendary director Steven Spielberg told action star Cruise, 60, that Maverick “saved Hollywood’s ass” by bringing audiences back to theaters.

‘And, you could have saved the theatrical distribution. Oh really. Maverick could have saved the entire theater industry,” Spielberg, 76, was heard telling an old friend of his in a now-viral video shared by Oscar nominee Kartiki Gonsalves.

It’s no coincidence, however, that Kidman, 55, who walked the Oscars red carpet with her husband, country singer Keith Urban, 55, before being cuddly during the show, didn’t attend the luncheon. attended by his former Scientologist.

In fact, Kidman also hasn’t spoken to the two children she adopted with Cruise, Isabella, 30, and Conner, 28, in years.

Isabella and Conner are devoted members of the Church of Scientology like their father.

Kidman was shunned by the church and labeled an SP, which stands for Suppressive Person. As a result, she was cut off from her family.

Kidman met Cruise in 1990 when the two were cast together in Days of Thunder, a movie about car racing.

She was 23 years old at the time, and coming from Australia, she was an unknown in Hollywood. That all changed when the stars began a real-life romance during filming.

After 12 years of marriage, Cruise left his wife in 2001, leaving her in a state of “total shock.” He filed for divorce that same year, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

According to countless reports, the real reason he left her was due to her refusal to join the Church of Scientology.

In 2012, Kidman opened up about her painful split from Cruise in an interview with DuJour magazine.

‘I thought our life together was perfect. It took me a long time to heal. It was a shock to my system,” she said.

We were in a bubble, just the two of us. We became very dependent on each other. She was reeling with Tom,’ he told the outlet. “I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him…I was totally in love, I fell madly and passionately in love.”

The former couple co-starred in three movies together between 1990 and 1999: Days of Thunder (pictured), Far and Away, and Eyes Wide Shut.

Critics’ favorite: Their film Eyes Wide Shut didn’t get the recognition they’d hoped for, despite its gripping love scenes.

Collaboration: Kidman and Cruise also co-starred in the period romance Far and Away in 1992.

Happier Times: Cruise and Kidman (pictured in 1992) divorced in 2001 after 12 years of marriage amid rumors that her commitment to Scientology drove a wedge between them.

Looking back, she told the outlet that she was “naive” to think that Cruise was her happily ever after. She also said that she was “happier” than she “has ever been.”

I live with a friend in Nice. My two daughters are with me, Sunday Rose, who is four, and Faith Margaret, who is two,” Kidman said.

Kidman and Cruise have not had any interaction in over a decade.

In a 2015 interview with Australia’s Who magazine, Kidman broke her silence about her relationship with both children.

They are adults. They can make their own decisions,” Kidman said, adding: “They have made decisions to be Scientologists, and as a mother, it’s my job to love them.”

That same year, Kidman also opened up about her divorce from Cruise during a speech at the Women’s World Summit in New York.

‘I was running from my life at the time. I couldn’t handle the reality of my life,’ he told the audience.

At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022, Cruise was celebrated with a 10-minute montage that included highlights from his entire career, which spanned four decades.

The montage left out Kidman, who made three movies with her ex-husband during their marriage.

She took the high road and didn’t say anything about being turned down from Cruise’s highlight reel.

Top Gun: Maverick centered on Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell thirty years after the original film. In the movie, he was forced to deal with ghosts from his past. The ‘s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice of the chosen to fly.

Cruise missed the 2023 Oscars on Sunday, with his movie Top Gun: Maverick taking home the award for Best Sound.

Incredible: Everything Everywhere All At Once nearly won it all and took the top honor for Best Picture with individual nods for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis

In 2006, Cruise married actress Katie Holmes. The two had a daughter together, Suri, who is now 16 and lives with her mother in New York.

They divorced in 2012 and it is alleged that their ties to Scientology caused their marriage to break down.

Suri is not in a relationship with her father and neither is Holmes, 44, who was awarded full custody in their divorce.

Under their agreement, Cruise reportedly had to pay Holmes $400,000 in alimony and $33,000 per month in child support until Suri turned 18.

Although Cruise did not attend the 2023 Oscars, producer Jerry Bruckheimer would accept the award if Maverick won Best Picture.

The Cruise starring film was nominated for Best Picture alongside Elvis, Avatar: The Way of Water, All Quiet on The Western Front and The Fabelmans. Everything, Everywhere All at Once won in the category.

Cruise was not nominated for his performance in the film. Austin Butler was nominated for his role in Elvis, as was Bill Nighy for Living. Brendan Fraser won for his incredible performance in the movie Whale.

Maverick was also nominated for Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Film Editing, Sound, Visual Effects and Music (Original Song). The only award the film won was for Sound.

Kidman was nominated for five Academy Awards in the Best Actress category, winning the coveted gold trophy in 2002 for her incredible portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.