Star Magazine and The National Enquirer both have stories this week about how Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ relationship is on the rocks. There’s not a lot of insider information in either tabloid, and the story in Star seems to be based on the very damning report in the New Yorker on Scientology that was published last week, along with some tell-all interviews with former cult members. There was also a dinner that Tom and Kate had at a restaurant in Vancouver on February 7 in which they sat far apart and seemed to interact more with Suri than with each other. (Those pictures are here.)
I think it’s safe to assume they’re having issues, but whether or not they’re affected by the shakedown of their cult remains to be seen. There’s so much brainwashing and groupthink that goes on with those type of organizations that both of them may simply think that Scientology is under attack by Subversive Persons or Squirrels (see Mark Rathbun) or whatever the f’ck they call them, which could just cause them to circle their wagons. That might not necessarily drive them apart. I love that the tabloids are really paying attention to the Scientology drama, though, and Star reports it in detail. I’ll just do a quick overview here:
FBI Probe: Tearing Tom & Katie Apart!
A shocking expose has turned the microscope on Scientology – and it’s most famous members, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Now the FBI is involved. Will their marriage survive the stress?With her head in her hands, staring glumly out at the crowded restaurant, Katie Holmes looked like she had a lot on her mind during a Feb. 7 dinner with hubby Tom Cruise. While he played and chatted with daughter Suri, Katie was left alone with her thoughts – and it didn’t appear that they were happy ones. Indeed, sources say that a blockbuster new Scientology expose has sent Katie reeling and driven a wedge between her and Tom.
[From Star Magazine, print edition, February 28, 2011]
They go into the charges of human trafficking and the FBI probe as was discussed in the New Yorker article. (That claim has been denied by Scientology of course.) They also cover the cult slave labor that built multiple vehicles for cruise, including custom motorcycles, an SUV, an airport hanger, and a bus that was tricked out so that Katie Holmes should get her daily brainwashing sessions wherever they went.
As far as how this latest cult scandal affects Tom and Katie, Star reports that “Tom has told Katie over and over that the church hasn’t done anything wrong and they shouldn’t be worried, but she’s not totally convinced. This is really testing their marriage.”
The Enquirer’s story is similar but more general about the issues they have, with the title “Katie Holmes breaks down” followed by these bullet points “She’s in tears over:
– Faltering Career
– Scientology Scandal
– Fights with Tom over baby
– Problems with stepdaughter”
They quote an insider who claims that “Katie’s world is threatening to cave in, and she’s on the bring of a major breakdown.” Given all I’ve heard about Scientology, that’s often true when people start questioning the cult. Katie may have countless more resources at her disposal than a typical cult member if she ever decides to leave, but it’s not going to be easy for her at all.
Katie Holmes is shown on 1/20/11 below on the LA set of Jack N Jill. She’s shown out with Tom and Suri on 12/20/11. In most of those photos she looks happy honestly, but the tabloids are of course using one where she looks pissed off. Credit: Fame.
More like her 5 year contract is almost up and she can’t wait to get the F—k OUT. Except what about Suri?
There’s not much hope of a happy ending with this one; I don’t see Katie Holmes having the same strength Nicole KIdman had when she left. Nicole had her own money and power, and STILL had to abandon her kids- (SO giving her the benefit of doubt on how much it hurt her to do that) That cult is full of freaks that will do ANYTHING to stay in the “church’s” good graces. Katie made a deal with the devil and she’s going to need witness protection if she tries to leave with Suri.
Boy she really married into a 3-Ring Circus.
Time to simply walk out with the clothes on your back and the child.
And walk away from the whole crazy cult mess. She has not looked happy for the last two years.
Yet, I do think the FBI is on to something big. And the fallout will be epic. Tom will not be happy to have his rep take a hit for slavery.
I suspect all that “help” that lives in their home, keeping Katie on her leash, are not getting paid. They are doing it for the honor.
“Katie may have countless more resources at her disposal than a typical cult member if she ever decides to leave, but it’s not going to be easy for her at all.”
I’d think the FBI hobbling the cult’s HQ would be great help. Katie would seem to have public opinion on her side if she decides to ‘cut and run’ and take Suri with her.
ita @mln76…contract expiration date must be soon.
To these Hollywood Scientologists, there is nothing more important than image. (See: Kelly Preston’s fake pregnancy.) You can’t bring people to the “faith” if they don’t envy and admire you.
The curtain has been falling away on this cult for awhile now and Tom should distance himself from it, tout de suite. He could still save his career but it is shooting down the crapper at Mach 5 with this latest news.
She needs to leave and get her life back.
In so many of her photos she looks drained, withdrawn and glum. Tom Cruise honed in on her like a heat seeking missile when he went wife-hunting and utterly overwhelmed her. That’s part of the Scientology method, to break down, reprogram and create a whole new personality tailored to the cult’s stifling restrictions. She sold her soul to the devil and I think, despite all the rigorous indoctrination she’s gone through, that she’s sorely regretting her decision. If she chooses to leave, she’ll have to sever her relationship with Suri as Nicole had to do with Isabella and Connor.
It might just be the way the paps want to portray Katie but she has certainly lost that “happy glow” i.e., smile-twinkle that she had just a couple years ago. She does seem to be in a constant funk.
@Droll I think Katie has an advantage over Nicole in that Suri is much younger. At the very least she’ll get joint custody. Isabelle and Connor were old enough to choose where they’d prefer and the brainwashing worked. Also some question whether Nicole ever officially adopted those children and therefore she may not have had any rights.
I read The New Yorker’s article and was totally creeped out by their behaviour. The part where the author mentions Tommy Davis, along with 19 members of the church, showing up at John Brosseau’s (who had been visiting Rathbun) hotel at 5:30 in morning was especially terrifying. Well, everything was really really bizarre!
EDIT — Here’s the extract:
Last April, John Brousseau, who had been in the Sea Org for more than thirty years, left the Gold Base. He was unhappy with Miscavige, his former brother-in-law, whom he considered “detrimental to the goals of Scientology.” He drove across the country, to south Texas, to meet Marty Rathbun. “I was there a couple of nights,” he says. At five-thirty one morning, he was leaving the motel room where he was staying, to get coffee, when he heard footsteps behind him. It was Tommy Davis; he and nineteen church members had tracked Brousseau down. Brousseau locked himself in his room and called Rathbun, who alerted the police; Davis went home without Brousseau.
*YIKES!*
@min76 Good comment – I also heard that Isabella and Connor were children of Sea Org staffers who are discouraged from marrying or having children as they are considered a fraternal religious order devoted to working for the more advanced levels in the organization. The more I read about this whackdoodle organization the more I pity poor old Katie, she didn’t really have a clue what she was getting into, or if she did, she figured the money and fame were worth it.
It’s going to be very interesting to see what the fall out will be from this FBI probe. I think the public is getting pretty fed-up with Scientology and the stars that are involved with it, especially in light of evidence coming out of serious misdeeds going on.
mln76, Isabella and Connor were 8 and 6 when their parents divorced. They were not old enough to choose who they wanted to live with. Children have to be at least 12 to have a say in that. The courts granted Tom and Nicole joint custody of the kids, and they did share custody for several years. When Nicole says that the kids chose to live with Tom, I think she means that when they got older, they decided to live with their father full time. Now it’s certaintly possible that scientology was involved in their decision, BUT Nicole is the one who chose to move to Nashville when the kids were tweens. It’s not surprising that they would choose to stay in L.A. where they were raised.
A. Suri never wears anything on her legs no matter how wrapped up her parents are.
B. She still drinks out of a baby’s bottle, even in public as you can see by following the links to the resto shots.
C. Katie must be either pregnant, very ill, on heroin or having a nervous breakdown. It’s not just bad paparazzi shots – she really looks ill unless she is wearing professional makeup for work
I have those pants! I don’t leave the house in them tho…lol
This organisation is a cult and I hope that the FBI has something on them so they can be brought down. A friend of mine recently ran into a couple of them who were looking for new members. She got so freaked out she ran off as fast as she could.
I’ve read articles on how people were completely destroyed after leaving them. They destroyed their personalities, livelihood and harassed them. They call it “Fair Game”, once you leave you are a target for them and they will go very far to make you regret your choice for leaving.
I can’t imagine with all the info that was already out 5 years ago that Katie didn’t know what she was getting into. She might have something in her contract that says that they will let her go after 5 years and won’t pursue her, but the psychological damage of brainwashing and publicly being a part of such an organization will most likely have an effect on her for a few years to come.
Then ofcourse there is the child so there will always be a link to the organisation through the husband.
I think she paid a high price for name recognition.
Was it worth it, Katie…????
All this is just creepy. I dont know how ANYONE like Nicole or Katie could love a man like Tom Cruise who is so involved with this ludicris cult.
It sounds like a really crazy organization with a lot of shady dealings.. Did either of these women get that?
I don’t think Tom CAN distance himself from it – he’s the public face of the organization. Katie, OTOH, can still make a break for it.
I think the smartest thing for her or any other high profile person who wants out would be to make it VERY public, and say if anything happens to them, COS did it. The public would support them, and COS couldn’t do much with everyone watching.
If any of the stuff about them is true, I hope the FBI takes them down.
@ Lucy2:
I don’t think Tom CAN distance himself from it – he’s the public face of the organization.
That and the fact they must know (and have the material to prove) a lot of things about him that he doesn’t want to become public.
@bebe thanks for the fact check I still think that Nic was forced out and only left LA after it was clear she would have very little to do with those chilren. As Isa said its been documented by several reputable sources like CNN and Now the New Yorker that this church ostracizes non believing family members.
I do think Suri is young enough to be deprogrammed and as I said before Katie has the advantage of being the bio mom whose legal rights are unassailable.
She made a deal with the devil. I think her parents tried to warn her-and she waited to marry Tom based on that. She fooled herself into thinking Scientology would be “just another church” or self help group. Now she’s stuck. She loves her daughter-but there is no way she’s getting her out of there.
This is why Katie should make a break for it w/ rugrat NOW- if the Feds are interested and you have stuff to give them, you CAN get help. And even the Xenu freaks hesitate to mess with certain Fed. agencies.
I would imagine Katie’s secretly thrilled that this is happening. Her body language since she’s been with TC would indicate that she’s a pretty unhappy person. She thought she was marrying the man of her dreams and instead she got sucked into a cult in which her husband is one of the top nuts. He must be flipping out, since he’s implicated in some of the ‘slave labor’ claims made by many people in the New Yorker article.
i have to laugh at the people still shouting “run, katie”. lmao. it’s been 6 years. get real, people! she knows what’s up. girl is treated like royalty. she has servants, travels by private plane, he bought her a fashion line. she’s living the life. ok back to the brangelina divorce rumors. lol
She use to be so young and fresh looking, full of life, Now she looks oldert than her years, and unhappy most of the time, I just think she really got totally caught up in the star power of Tom when he first contacted her. If she is happy, I wish this marriage well, but if she is not, I hope she gets out while she can still get back to herself.
We don’t know what kind of crazy adoption deal, Tom and Nicole had, for all we know he could have adopted them on his own, with Nicole stepping up to be a significant parental figure, we just dont know, but with Katie, for all we know to be true, she actually is the bio. mom to Suri, I don’t think Tom will have as easy of a time Taking away Suri as he did his other kids,, for one thing he has just had so much bad press over the last 4 or 5 years, so I just dont he has that power that he had then. Either way, I just hope for the best for Katie and Suri.
Dude, you guys have to read that New Yorker article. I’m now pretty much convinced that you can’t leave scientology. Physically. They f*cking drag your ass back. Especially if you’re a high profile member like Katie is. The article talks about how the wife of the head of scientology was doing jobs without permission from her husband, and she’s GONE MISSING. They claim to know where she is. Yah. In a freezer.
@Mshuffleupagus: ITA about the nyt article. It’s the most comprehensive & damning piece I’ve read on Scientology. You guys will be fascinaated.
I don’t think any of the material stuff can make up for the way we can all imagine her life is like – no freedom, tons of odd rules, everything controlled, lots of people involved in your “marriage” and image and every day life, etc.
The New Yorker & Star articles are just scratching the surface of the insanity that is Scientology. For a thorough look at the nastiness and inner workings of this cult, try Operation Clambake: http://www.xenu.net/
Poor woman has the deadest eyes I have ever seen on a living human being.
I agree with everyone who says she looks drained. Obviously I don’t know her personally or get to have a look into her personal life, but all the pictures the paps snag of her make her look so drained and empty.
Whatever is making her feel that way, I hope it gets resolved.
Her only hope is to get Chris Klein to take a paternity test (bad joke). She obviously is not in a good mental place and Tom likely reminds her constantly that the world sees it. She needs to get it together for her kid, grow up and get out.
Tom has told Katie over and over that the church hasn’t done anything wrong and they shouldn’t be worried, but she’s not totally convinced.
Well GOOD! Neither is anyone else! It is crystal clear that there is something very VERY wrong in the house that L. Ron built & for one hope that it comes crashing down on all of them (kiddos excepted)
I live in the same town in Florida where the Travoltas spend most of their time. John purchased a downtown building to turn into a Scientology center, and as far as I know, it never opened. The New Yorker article is a must-read. Do you know there are fewer and fewer Scientologists, despite the Tom Cruise/John Travolta tie-in? Really.
These two look like the most boring damn people in the world.
Is her cock-eyed smile a nervous tick type thing? Maybe she’s chewing the heck out of the inside of her mouth? Or, she has no feeling in her face muscles any more (they sucked that out with her ability to think and have twinkly eyes)and she honestly believes she’s smiling!
Scientology has been under investigation in Europe for years.
More shocking than anything is the consensus and lack of defenders in the comments. I enjoy this site because Kaiser can’t even slap a story about Lohan up without engaging a back and forth with at least a couple of defenders. Even the Mel Gibson stuff gets some Oksana-haters.
But Scientology, Tom and Katie? The closest we came is @bibi noting that Katie has it good and doesn’t require a Free Katie campaign!
Creepy.
If she had a brain she’d get out now and take the Church down with her.
It took awhile for many people to educate themselves, TQB. And yet I still know many people that, since they don’t read the news or blogs or tabloids, haven’t really gotten any specifics about how dangerous the cult is.
So the more exposure, the better. This is a dangerous, subversive, sneaky cult. Not to mention completely ridiculous. This needs to be household knowledge.
Please go to xenu.net and also read the New Yorker article if you haven’t.
@lulu: It’s not a bottle, it’s a sippy cup. More convenient to carry liquids for children in when you are on the go. I have a 6 year old and use a Contigo sippy cup type bottle for my daughter to carry water in – no spills!
Finished reading the New Yorker article. Wow. Just… wow.
I was wondering once scientology started really getting exposed and looked into by the government, like it is now, how it would affect the famous married scientologists like Tomkat, JOhn & Kelly, Will & Jada etc.
How will they be able to carry on their charade once the lid is blown on this cult – they cant and be seen as sane in public eye so it will be interesting to see which what happens.
YEAH – New Yorker!!!
I hope Kate gets out with Suri, and others are able to get out.
Maybe Keith Urban has a brother for Katie? God knows, she’s going to have to move to the other side of the world to get a way from Tom Cruise.
I wouldn’t want to be katie for all the money in the world.