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Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes & Tom CruisePhoto by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.
Tom Cruise, 61, has been married three times and each of those relationships, and subsequent divorces, follows the same unique pattern. Cruise married his first wife, Mimi Rogers, in 1987 before they divorced in 1990 — the same year he tied the knot to Nicole Kidman. After adopting two children, Kidman and Cruise divorced in 2001. In November 2006, Cruise married Katie Holmes seven months after she gave birth to their daughter, Suri.
Tom Cruise’s marriages all ended when his wives turned 33.
Leonardo DiCaprio might have a bad reputation for calling off his romances when his much-younger partners get to the age of 25, but he’s apparently not the only one who has a strict cut-off point.
Actress Mimi Rogers was 33 years old when Cruise, then 24, filed for divorce. Rogers is often reported to be the reason Cruise first joined the Church of Scientology. It is unclear why they split but Rogers did tell People in 1995 that Cruise’s success put strain on their relationship. “You cease to be an individual,” she said. “No matter what the article is, it’s ‘Tom Cruise’s wife…’”
Though Kidman, now 56, was 34 by the time her divorce was finalized, Cruise officially filed in February 2001, before her June birthday. In his filing, Cruise cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split and it has been widely reported that those “differences” had everything to do with Cruise’s commitment to Scientology.
Undeterred by his bad luck in love, Cruise went on to marry Holmes when she was about to turn 28. He was 44 at the time and I’m sure you know where this is going. Holmes was 33 when she reportedly blindsided Cruise by filing for divorce — a divorce that was rapidly finalized in just 11 days allegedly due to Holmes’ fears about getting her daughter out of Scientology. Of course, this time around it wasn’t Cruise who cut off his marriage before Holmes reached the dreaded age of 34, but the pattern remains. And there may be a reason for it.
’33’ is reportedly a significant number in Scientology.
According to NY Daily News, and a website for L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, the first official organization for the controversial religion was founded in Arizona, which lies on the 33rd parallel — a circle of latitude that is 33 degrees north of the Earth’s equatorial plane. In numerology, 33 is a master number or the “master teacher.” Numerology considers 33 to be a deeply spiritual number that symbolizes a desire to enlighten others and guide them to their destiny. According to the official Scientology website, “the ultimate goal of Scientology is true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all.”
However, if Cruise’s ultimate goal was to lead his brides into the Church of Scientology and help them achieve “spiritual enlightenment” under the controversial group’s rule, he hasn’t been successful thus far. Though she doesn’t speak about the church publicly, Rogers is reported to no longer be an active member and she’s not the only ex who left the church.
According to The Daily Beast, Kidman studied Scientology for two years during her relationship with Cruise but turned away from the church by 1992 due, in part, to tensions with Scientology leader David Miscavige. Former Scientology inspector general Marty Rathbun told Vanity Fair in 2012, “The central problem was Nicole did not want to deal with Scientology.” He continued: “I participated in the Mimi divorce and in the Nic divorce. Both women got cold on [David] Miscavige. He was integral to the breakup of the marriages.”
For Holmes, Scientology was reportedly also what pushed her to end her marriage. Cruise himself admitted as much in 2013. In a testimony as part of his defamation case against Bauer Media who claimed he abandoned his daughter, Cruise was asked if Holmes left him “in part to protect Suri from Scientology.” Cruise responded: “Did she say that? That was one of the assertions, yes.”
Since his third divorce, Cruise has kept his dating life more private. Most recently, he was linked to his Misson: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One co-star Hayley Atwell but their relationship is rumored to have ended last year.
