Tom Cruise And Nicole Kidman’s Notoriously Private Son Offered A Glimpse Into His Life

When Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were married, the famous couple adopted two kids, Isabella and Connor, into their family. And believe it or not, those children are all grown-up now. They lead pretty private lives, but Connor recently gave the world an enticing peek into his life.

Out of the shadows

It might be hard to believe, but it’s true! Yes, Connor Cruise has been largely kept out of the spotlight since his adoption, swerving most of what comes with being the son of two celebrities. Yet he’s finally decided to be a little more open with the public via his Instagram account.

Big sis

Connor’s older sibling Isabella Cruise, better known as Bella, has followed a similar path, too. Much like him, she’s only occasionally offered small peeks into her private life through Instagram. And Kidman’s also provided some intriguing info about her daughter in the past during an interview with Vanity Fair, when she touched upon Bella’s living situation.

Across the pond

You see, Bella and her hubby Max Parker are residents of London, England, where they have a home in a neighborhood called Croydon. According to Kidman, that’s not too surprising. The actress explained, “You know, she really feels more English. We lived there for Eyes Wide Shut, Mission: Impossible and The Portrait of a Lady. [The kids] both had English accents when they were little.”

Art runs in the family

So what’s Bella been up to recently? Well, Hello! magazine reports that she puts pieces of her own art up for sale via her official web page. In truth, that shouldn’t come as much of a shock – after all, the Croydon resident’s Instagram account displays plenty of eye-opening paintings. She’s got quite a talent!

Sweet beginnings

Anyway, you might be wondering when Bella and Connor joined their A-List family. According to the Page Six website, the former was the first, as Tom and Kidman brought her into the fold in 1992. The famous couple then followed the same process with their son three years later. He was just a newborn at the time.

Say cheese!

Now as we’ve noted already, Connor was kept away from the spotlight for the most part, though he wasn’t completely shielded as a kid. There’s no escaping the cameras sometimes! Yep, a rare photo of the quartet all together was snapped by the Australian press in 1996, with the youngsters in their parents’ arms.

Rare sightings

After that, Connor was infrequently photographed with his adopted parents at separate events once they pulled the plug on their marriage in 2001. For instance, he joined Kidman at the American Cinematheque Award show two years later, when she was being given the prize. Then, in 2004 the Hollywood star was spotted again with him and Bella at an L.A. Lakers match.

Like father like son

As for Tom, he and Connor have been snapped at various soccer, basketball and baseball matches down the years – but that’s not all. The father and son were pictured together ahead of the Daytona 500 event in 2009 as well. So it probably isn’t a stretch to say that they share a love of sports!

Showing support

Plus, Connor’s also been spotted at the odd press event with his famous dad in the past. Yep, to help promote Mission: Impossible III in 2006, he joined Tom and the rest of the crew for an appearance on Total Request Live. That must’ve been really cool for a boy who just turned ten the previous year.

Shying from the spotlight

Yet Connor didn’t make a habit of attending those events as he got older. Instead, the guy’s public appearances with his famous folks became even more sparse, and up to now we’ve learned very little about his life. So we can’t help but ask: does he still have a relationship with Tom and Kidman?

Sparse reunions

We’ll start with Connor’s adoptive dad first. One of the more recent photos of them in public dates back to 2015, when they went to a basketball game. Then again, that doesn’t mean Tom hasn’t seen his son in the past six years. In fact, the pair met up in Bella’s neck of the woods not too long ago.

A meaningful chat

As reported by The Sun newspaper, Tom and Connor saw each other in the U.K.’s capital city during the fall of 2019, suggesting that they’re on good terms. It wasn’t just a simple father-son catch-up, though. Apparently, the Mission: Impossible star looked to impart some wisdom on his boy during that visit.

Stunting

Yes, Hello! reports that Tom was teaching Connor how to fly. Maybe he’s looking to follow in dad’s footsteps as a bit of a daredevil? They’d be quite the double-act! And the Hollywood superstar hasn’t forgotten about Bella either. As it turns out, he made a big gesture for her a few years ago.

Wedding bells are ringing

People magazine’s website revealed that Tom covered the costs of Bella’s wedding ceremony and reception when she tied the knot in 2015. He wasn’t even at the low-key event, either, which makes it all the more remarkable. Marie Claire claims that Connor and Kidman also weren’t there.

Trouble in paradise

Speaking of Connor and Kidman, that brings us on to their connection as mom and son. What’s it like? Are there similarities to the bond he shares with his dad? Well, that’s a tough one to answer. Their dealings have previously been described as “strained” in the media for one particular reason.

Deep divisions

According to Marie Claire, Tom kept hold of Connor and Bella when he left Kidman two decades ago. As a result, the kids became firmly entrenched in the Church of Scientology, which their dad’s part of. And it’s believed that this situation has potentially affected the actress’ bonds with the pair.

A noticeable omission

And the rumors on that front were only strengthened when Kidman won a Golden Globe for her work on Big Little Lies in 2018. As she picked up the award, the Hollywood star shared messages of love to her current hubby Keith Urban and their children. But Connor and Bella didn’t make the cut.

Loose lips sink ships

But that wasn’t unusual – Kidman’s failed to bring up Connor or Bella when accepting other awards down the years, too. Sounds pretty telling, right? Then again, the actress said that this isn’t an indication of ill-feeling towards her adopted children. She informed Who that the lack of mentions simply comes down to honoring their privacy.

'I love her a lot'

Alongside that, Connor’s attempted to brush off the suggestions that there’s trouble between them – and he faced the issue head-on. Speaking to Woman’s Day magazine in 2014, he stated, “I love my mom. I don’t care what people say, I know that me and mom are solid. I love her a lot.”

A glimpse inside

These stories certainly prove one thing – even if you’re out of the limelight, having famous parents still comes with its challenges! So, now that we’ve got a better idea of Connor’s relationship with his mom and dad, it’s time to explore his recent openness online. What’s been going on in the guy’s life?

The life aquatic

Well, an insider provided some background to People in the early part of 2019, revealing where Connor resides. They said, “Connor has a pretty simple life in Clearwater. He lives in his own home in a Scientology community. His life is deep-sea fishing. He has a lot of friends and seems very well-liked.”

Gone fishin'

And Connor definitely isn’t shy in sharing shots of his Floridian surroundings on Instagram. Yep, the Clearwater resident has posted numerous snaps of the idyllic spot across his page. Some of them wouldn’t look out of place on a postcard! But that isn’t the sole focus of his social media posts.

Shifting paths

Like the People insider just mentioned, Connor’s fallen in love with deep-sea fishing. So in keeping with that, he’s shared photos of his exploits out on the water, highlighting a few impressive catches. While he looks like a natural, Tom’s son wasn’t always an aspiring fisherman.

Into the limelight

In fact, Connor had shown a real interest in acting when he was a youngster. He made his big screen debut in 2008, when he took on the role of Young Ben in the Will Smith drama Seven Pounds. After that, the teenager had to wait for his next opportunity, which eventually came four years later.

A big bust

Yes, Connor’s second movie appearance came in 2012’s Red Dawn, which starred the likes of Chris Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson. Unfortunately for him, though, the film was a bit of a disaster. It only made $50.9 million at the global box office off a budget of $65 million. Yikes!

Switching gears

Anyway, that marked the end of Connor’s brief flirtation with acting. Could he have bounced back from the disappointment and eventually followed in his parents’ giant footsteps? That’s not for us to say, but it would’ve made quite the story, right? Moving on, he set his sights on a very different profession.

Party animal

Connor transitioned into the world of DJing, getting started as a 16-year-old. That’s some switch. His talents earned him bookings domestically and overseas, with the AOL website noting that he had gigs as far afield as Australia. So to say that Tom’s son is well-traveled would be a bit of an understatement.

Jamming out

Oh, and he didn’t go by Connor Cruise behind the decks. As per AOL, he opted for a different moniker once he got into the groove: DJ C-Squared. We’re serious! The guy’s time in music didn’t last forever, though.

Going his own way

So that brings us back to Connor’s move into the world of deep-sea fishing. What prompted the change? To answer that, an insider spoke to Radar Online in January 2019. They said, “Connor’s done some growing up these past few months and decided he doesn’t want to live his life spending his dad’s money.”

Escaping nepotism

The insider continued, “[Connor] loves being out on the water, so this is really a dream job for him. Connor knows his dad will give him anything he wants, and for a long time he took advantage of that. But he’s really surprised himself at how much he enjoys being relatively independent, thanks to his new job.”

Do it for the 'gram

With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Connor’s been keen to share his progress on social media. Even the most private person needs an outlet sometimes! Thanks to his recent updates on the fishing front, he has around 34,000 followers on Instagram at the time of writing.

Makeover time

Yet it could be argued that Connor caused an even bigger stir online in June 2021. At that point, he made a post on Instagram Stories that unveiled his brand new personal style. Prior to that, Kidman’s son had rocked a frizzled mop of hair and a dark beard that’d best be described as bushy.

The great reveal

In the Instagram Stories post, though, that was all gone. Yep, Connor decided to brave the shave in more ways than one. He buzzed off the hair and beard, looking like a completely different person. We wonder what his A-list mom and dad thought about that when they found out?

Renaissance man

Plenty of Connor’s followers are certainly in for a shock when he makes his next standard Instagram post. You see, he still has the old look in the most recent one at the time of writing. Sticking with his social media page for now, the former actor also has another interest that he likes to share updates on.

Connor the grill master

What could it be? Well, as it turns out, Connor absolutely loves cooking. Yes, the deep-sea fisherman has dropped a few images of his barbecue in action, as well as a video showcasing a mouth-watering cut of prime rib. It looked so good! Dinner round his house is sure to be a lot of fun.

Next moves

Might there be a future for Connor in the culinary world if he turns away from fishing? You can’t rule it out. After all, given what we’ve learned so far, he isn’t afraid to switch professions. And whatever happens going forward, the ex-DJ appears to have the support of both his parents.

Unconditional acceptance

Yep, an insider informed People that Tom has no problem with his kids writing “their own story.” As for Kidman, her views on Connor and Bella’s association with Scientology tied into that, too. During her chat with Who in 2018, she said, “They’re able to make their own decisions. And as a mother, it’s my job to love them.”

'That's our job as a parent'

Kidman then added, “I’m an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe – that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here. That’s our job as a parent, to always offer unconditional love.” Connor couldn’t ask for more concrete backing.