Tom Cruise didn’t show up to the 95th annual Oscars on Sunday, despite Top Gun: Maverick earning an impressive six nominations, and Jimmy Kimmel and David Letterman had some words on his absence.
Letterman sat as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week and talked all about the ceremony, which Kimmel hosted for a third time. The conversation, of course, drifted to Cruise, who they both agreed “should’ve been there.”
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“Here’s something that’s a little sensitive: Tom Cruise,” said Letterman. “Where was Tom Cruise?”
Kimmel admitted the whole situation was a little unclear from the start. The Oscar team heard he missed the event because of “production issues.” The talk show host said it was all “very non-specific,” and he didn’t know what happened.
“But he should’ve been there celebrating his big jet pack Maverick show,” Letterman noted.
Jimmy Kimmel agreed with Letterman but guessed that Tom Cruise may have realized he wasn’t going to win. So, he decided not to attend.
“He is the prince of Hollywood,” Kimmel added.
“But more to the power of your success, Mr. Big Shot is not there. And still, the show has never been more successful,” Letterman said. “Nice going, Jimmy.”
Rumors Surround Tom Cruise’s Decision to Skip the 2023 Oscars
The actor has been under scrutiny for declining his invite for days. Maverick was up for Best Picture that night. And because Cruise was an executive producer, he was on the list of people who would have been handed the trophy if it had won. That was the first time he’d been nominated for an Academy Award in over two decades. So missing the possible fanfare seemed suspicious.
When Tom Cruise originally turned down a seat at the Oscars, outlets reported that he was busy filming Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part Two to attend. However, he still had a chance to take a hiatus to attend Michale Caine’s 90th birthday party in London two days later, which has made fans wonder if the filming excuse was legit.
A source later came forward to the Daily Mail and claimed that Cruise actually skipped the show because he didn’t want to run into ex-wife, Nicole Kidman. The couple was married for 11 years and share two adopted children together. Their relationship has been rocky since their split.
Another insider also told Variety that Cruise refused to be in the audience because Judd Apatow was helping Kimmel write his material. Apatow recently gave a monologue at the Directors Guild of America Awards and absolutely roasted Cruise, and Cruise allegedly didn’t want to be the butt of that night’s jokes.