Inside Suri Cruise's Close Relationship With Katie Holmes

On April 18, 2006, Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise welcomed daughter Suri Cruise into the world. The arrival of the A-list pairing's baby sparked a media frenzy, and that frenzy only went into overdrive when the two decided to wait a few months before releasing any pictures of their child. Suri's parents married later that same year and split in 2012. The dissolution of TomKat's marriage, and the drama that followed, also sparked a media frenzy.

In the wake of Holmes and Tom's divorce, there's been a lot of speculation about the state of Suri's dynamic with her father. Her relationship with her mom, however, is far less a mystery. Although the mother-daughter duo tries to keep a low profile, it is clear that their one-of-a-kind bond is as strong as can be. As the "Dawson's Creek" alum once told Elle UK, "'I was happy to become a mum in my twenties. It's been nice that our ages fit ... how do I put this? Every age that my child has been and my age at that time has been a good match. We kind of grew up together."

Let's take a look inside Suri Cruise's close relationship with Katie Holmes.

Katie Holmes has made it clear that there are values she aims to instill in her daughter. Opening up about her parenting style in an interview with InStyle, Holmes said, "My biggest goal has always been to nurture her into her individuality. To make sure she is 100 percent herself and strong, confident, and able. And to know it. She came out very strong — she's always been a strong personality. She'll pick an activity and work her butt off until she's really good at it. Then she's like, 'OK, I'm going to try the next thing.' She's very focused and a hard worker." 

In the same interview, the mother of one also shared a sweet story about how she always looked for ways to push Cruise to be independent. One year, for example, Holmes had Cruise make her own birthday party supplies instead of, you know, bringing in a high-end party planner who would have all of the themed gear ready to go and could decorate the event to the hilt and then some. "I wanted her to create things instead of having stuff done for her. That way she was always in charge," she said. Holmes also encourages Cruise to pursue her interests and hobbies. As outlets like People noted at the time, Cruise enrolled in gymnastics when she was a youngster.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise's highly publicized split left their daughter, Suri Cruise, in the middle of their custody battle. In the end, Holmes won primary custody of Suri and the two moved to New York together, leaving Tom behind in California. Regarding the custody matters, an unnamed source claimed to Us Weekly, "Katie was really smart about how she did this. Tom will be allowed to see Suri but there are guidelines for the visits."

When the mother-daughter duo decided to relocate in 2012, there was a lot going on for their family behind the scenes and all over the tabloids. But she quickly established a support system in the Big Apple, presumably making the transition a little less overwhelming. "I love the community in New York," she told People in 2014. "I love talking to my neighbors in the elevator. I like feeling a part of something big."

This same sentiment came up in a 2020 chat with InStyle. Holmes recalled, "So many people I didn't know became my friends and helped us out, and that's what I love about the city." She went on to recall a time when a cab driver helped her carry a snoozing Suri from the taxi up to Holmes' home. Remembering the driver's kind gesture, she said, "There was one incredible moment when I think I actually cried."

Katie Holmes has taken big measures to hide Suri Cruise away from the public eye. While opening up about some of the strategies she used to ensure Suri had as close to a normal childhood as possible in an interview with InStyle, she said, "We were followed a lot when she was little. I just wanted her outside, so I would walk her around to find parks at, like, 6 in the morning when nobody would see us. But there's one video where I'm holding her — she was 2 at the time — and she starts waving at the cameras. She's pretty special." Given all of the attention that was heaped upon them when Suri was born, it is not too surprising that Holmes has been determined to keep her little one away from public scrutiny. 

While many celebrity babies are photographed for a glossy magazine feature the week they arrive, that wasn't the case for Suri. Holmes and Tom Cruise waited until October 2006 before they introduced their child to the world. Naturally, this move garnered quite a bit of attention — even though, as Holmes and Tom said at the time, they weren't in a rush to jump back into the spotlight. "She was born as 'M.I.3 [Mission: Impossible III]' was coming out, and once Tom was finished promoting the film, all we wanted to do was spend time with Suri and our family and friends. We were always going to release a photo ... I really just wanted to enjoy this precious time with my daughter. I knew I'd never get that time back," Holmes recalled in Vanity Fair. 

Most teens probably wouldn't be thrilled to sport the same outfit as their mom or dad, but Suri Cruise doesn't seem to mind twinning with Katie Holmes. The mother-daughter duo has been spotted in similar ensembles many times over the years. In 2012, Cruise and Holmes were photographed in matching white skirts and black and white patterned tops. A then-6-year-old Cruise smiled as she held her mother's hand during the outing, so it appears she enjoyed being Holmes' doppelganger for the day.

The pair were photographed in similar outfits during Cruise's teen years as well. Per L'Officiel, Holmes celebrated her 42nd birthday in a floral dress that coordinated with Cruise's attire for the night. In 2021, the Daily Mail shared snaps of the duo donning matching cardigans while out and about in New York. And as Hola! pointed out, Holmes and Cruise were seen running around the city in matching cream-colored sweaters in 2022. No, these outfits are not exactly the same, but they're close enough to suggest the mother and daughter have very similar styles.

Humanitarian work is one of the many bonding activities Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise enjoy together. Holmes opened up about Cruise's interest in giving back in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. "My daughter and I do a lot of volunteer work together. I enjoy volunteering with my daughter and hearing her point of view and listening to her suggestions on how we can help," the "Batman Begins" actor said. "It's important to go and see for myself, and to be part of helping people in any way that I can."

Per Marie Claire, Holmes and Cruise embarked on a trip to a Syrian refugee camp with social change organization Artolution in 2019. The camp, which was located on the Greek island of Lesbos, housed thousands of refugees. The pair assisted women and children at the camp while documenting the process along the way. Holmes took to Instagram to share a photo of her charity work and wrote in the caption, "I love these women who became our friends as we collaborated on many different projects this week. I am so very grateful for this experience. The resilience of these women is so profound and truly inspiring to witness. and I pray for refugees everywhere."

This was also one of the rare occasions where Holmes posted a photo of Cruise on social media. The Instagram photo shared by the movie star mom shows her then-12-year-old daughter interacting with one of the children staying at the camp.

Like her mother, Suri Cruise seems to have taken an interest in acting and the arts. She's a huge fan of Broadway and often accompanies her mother, Katie Holmes, to shows. It appears that these outings were once full-on family affairs: Per Broadway.com, Tom Cruise was photographed at the Broadway musical "Come Fly Away" with Holmes and Suri by his side.

These days the mom and daughter attend shows by themselves. Per Playbill, they saw "Finding Neverland" in 2016 and even posed for a photo with the cast. And as Marie Claire noted, the duo also saw "Dear Evan Hansen" together in 2017 and took a photo with the play's star, Ben Platt. Does Suri's interest in Broadway mean she could follow in her mother's footsteps and eventually pursue acting? We'll just have to wait and see. For now, she seems to be enjoying her time in the audience and away from the spotlight.

Although Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise have gone their separate ways, the movie stars were once in love. In 2010, just two years before the couple filed for divorce, Holmes complimented her then-husband on his involvement as a father in an interview with Marie Claire. "Tom's as big at home as he is on the movie screen," she said. "He's so passionate about everything, whatever he's doing. When he's being a dad, he's right there; he's giving it his all. It's inspiring and it's fun. It's an amazing life, but we always remind ourselves of how incredibly lucky we are." Discussing game night over Scrabble, she continued, "But Tom's really good at it. It's all strategy. I think when I'm back in Toronto, I'm going to bring my dictionary and study."

While Tom and Holmes' relationship was not meant to last, Holmes' bond with daughter Suri Cruise remains unbreakable. A source said in Us Weekly, "It's no exaggeration to say that Suri and Katie have saved each other. They really are wonderful together." Another tipster told the publication that Holmes has made a point of raising Suri to be someone who not only isn't out of touch, but seems to take the Golden Rule to heart. "She doesn't come across as spoiled or like a celebrity kid at all. She's kind and she always shows gratitude," the source said. 

Much has been made of Tom Cruise's involvement with Scientology, including but not limited to how it's impacted his relationship with Suri Cruise. Following the divorce, Katie Holmes and Suri left Scientology. And then, as ABC News reported at the time, Tom got into a legal battle with a magazine company over stories that alleged he'd "abandoned" Suri.  The actor said, "'He chose Scientology over Suri for good.' 'Has he chosen Scientology over Suri for good?' 'Abandoned by Daddy.' I mean come on, that is absolutely disgusting. I tolerate a tremendous amount and I'm very privileged to be able to have the life that I have, and I believe that. But there is a line that I draw for myself and — and that's it. And I asked for an apology. I asked for a retraction. They denied it."

When asked if Holmes ended the relationship to get Suri away from the organization, Tom told lawyers, "That was one of the assertions, yes." When a follower of the religion cuts ties with the church, former members have said that they were deemed a "Suppressive Person" and are "disconnected" from those who still belong to the organization, per HuffPost. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, a rep for the church denied such a policy is in place. 

In 2016, a source claimed to In Touch that Tom and Suri apparently went 1,000 days without communicating. Getting into the supposed extent of Tom and Suri's limited contact, they claimed, "They used to Skype and text, but that trailed off drastically. He uses his film commitments as an excuse, but the truth is that doesn't hold much weight with Suri anymore." In 2019, a source claimed to In Touch that Tom wanted to repair the relationship.

As for what all of this means for Suri and Tom? We can't say for certain, but by all accounts, their relationship seems estranged at best. Thankfully, she and Katie Holmes have each other.