Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise had one of the most high-profile marriages of the 1990s, and when they divorced, the world was shocked. None were more shocked than Kidman, who did not expect her husband to divorce her.
The couple had a complicated marriage, but they had adopted two children that connected them throughout their lives. Now, their children are grown-ups, and they don’t often see one another anymore.
When Cruise and Kidman divorced in 2001, they lost touch with one another, and their children were seen to with the help of people close to the couple so that Kidman and Cruise did not have to stay in contact.
A representative for Cruise said it was fine by him that he had little contact with his ex-wife as he did not miss her at all. Each of them moved on to new partners and had more children.
Cruise married and then divorced Katie Holmes, but not before having a daughter, Suri Cruise, with the actress. Kidman is still married to Keith Urban, with whom she tied the knot with after her split from Cruise.
Kidman and Urban share two daughters, Sunday and Faith, and are a happy family. Kidman and Cruise are more private about their adopted children and have only given one or two updates about them throughout the years.
Fans know that Isabella, Kidman and Cruise’s daughter, lives in the UK and feels more British because that is where she spent her formative years; Kidman and Cruise’s son, Connor, lives in Miami and works in the music industry.
Did Cruise Really Skip the Oscars Not to See Nicole?
Cruise and Kidman have remained civil in the two decades since their marriage, but there is no love lost between them, and they do not enjoy being in one another’s company for any reason.
This has prompted some to believe that this is why Cruise skipped 2023’s Oscar Awards ceremony. Kidman and Urban were on the red carpet and in the Dolby Theatre for the evening.
With the success of the revival of “Topgun,” many assumed that Cruise would be in attendance to celebrate the film and to possibly accept an award for the movie that was said to have “saved Hollywood.”
Yet Cruise was not in attendance on the red carpet or for the rest of the ceremony. A source confirmed:
“[Cruise] was not there because [Kidman] was there, and he did not want a run-in.”
While Cruise is proud of his new film’s success and is elated that it was so well-received, he opted not to attend the awards ceremony, so he could keep the peace in his life without seeing Kidman.
Why Did Shocked Kidman Plead with Tom Not to Divorce Her?
Kidman’s career began in 1987 when she landed a role in “Vietnam,” which was an Australian miniseries. After she experienced success in that role, she starred in a film called “Dead Calm,” which gained her much recognition.
She was nude in one of the scenes, and many people were immediately captivated. Cruise was one of the people whose eye Kidman caught. Cruise, recently divorced from Mimi Rogers, arranged a meeting with Kidman.
Cruise was one of the biggest stars in the world at the time, and Kidman was just starting her career in Hollywood; she was fascinated by him. By 1990, when Kidman was 23, the couple was married. Talking about her experience, Kidman confessed:
“I was reeling with [Cruise.] I would have gone to the ends of the earth for him.”
Yet years later, she knew that she had been too young and naïve when she met Cruise to understand better when their marriage began to deteriorate. Kidman says while she was happy for most of her marriage, there were cracks in the foundation of their relationship.
Kidman had gone from being relatively unknown to being the wife of a Hollywood superstar who had access to things like private jets, multiple homes, limousines, and bodyguards. The actress felt like she was constantly being watched.
Because of the paparazzi presence around the couple, they became used to being very controlled when in public, as the tabloids always had speculation about them when they stepped a foot wrong.
Cruise and Kidman leaned on one another for support during this time and came even closer together when they suffered an ectopic pregnancy early on in their marriage. They later had trouble conceiving again and decided to adopt their daughter, Isabella.
Three years after adopting Isabella, the couple again expanded their family by adopting a little boy named Connor. Cruise and Kidman celebrated their ten-year wedding anniversary five years after adopting their son. Talking about that time in her life, Kidman reflected:
“I thought our life together was perfect.”
Yet two months later, Cruise announced that he was leaving Kidman and said she knew why he was doing it. Kidman admitted she pleaded with her then-husband not to leave her and the children.
Her identity had become being Cruise’s wife, and she was afraid that once he left her, nobody would be interested in her any longer. However, the opposite happened, and she became more famous.
For months, the press tried to find out what had gone wrong between the couple and constantly asked them for an explanation as to why their marriage had so abruptly ended.
Neither of them gave any reasons for their union coming to an end, and Kidman stated:
“I’m a person who carries everything that happens to me in the past into the future. But I refuse to let it make me bitter. I still completely believe in love, and I remain open to anything that will happen to me.”
Yet she later admitted that the divorce shocked her system, and it ultimately took her years to come to terms with it. Now, she lives a happy life with her new husband and children.