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Tom Cruise is currently single, and honestly, TBD if he’s ready to mingle based on his grueling filming schedule at the moment. Like, those Mission Impossible and Top Gun sequels aren’t going to film themselves! But Tom has been in a ton of high-profile celeb relationships over the years (TomKat was basically the Kravis of their time), and it’s time for a quick trip down memory lane. Also, before we get started, quick spoiler to inform you that Tom was one of Cher’s top five best lovers.
1981: Melissa Gilbert
Star of your mother’s favorite show Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert dated Tom Cruise back in the olden days—like, before he was famous. It was so long before he was famous, in fact, that he was going by a different name. (That is correct: CRUISE IS NOT THIS MAN’S REAL NAME.)
“Actually, when I dated him, he was Tom Mapother still,” Melissa revealed on Watch What Happens Live, adding that she was “16 maybe or 17” when they met.
Melissa also noted they kept things PG-13, saying she didn’t have sex with him. And yes, she said Tom was “a good kisser.” (Please be advised: much of this list is people complimenting Tom’s ~skills~.)
1983: Rebecca De Mornay
According to Risky Business star Curtis Armstrong’s aptly titled tell-all Revenge of the Nerd, Tom Cruise and Rebecca had an “intense affair” on set of the film. But, like, neither Tom nor Rebecca appear to have confirmed that so...moving on!
1985: Patti Scialfa
Yep, Tom used to date E Street Band member (and Bruce Springsteen’s wife) Patti! We know this thanks to an old People profile from 1988, which notes they dated “briefly” in 1985.
1985: Cher
That is correct: Tom and Cher fully dated. They first met at the site of all great celeb romances: Sean Penn and Madonna’s wedding. But then they found themselves once again at the same place at the same time when they attended a casual event at the White House.
While they clearly didn’t last, Cher did call Tom one of her top five lovers (Wow, tell us more, Cher) during an episode of Watch What Happens Live.
1987 to 1990: Mimi Rogers
Meet Tom’s first wife, Mimi! Tom mused to Rolling Stone back in 1990 (ironically...right before their split) that she helped him become a better actor and he cared about her more than “anything in the world.” He also called Mimi his “best friend” and said, “I just really like being with her, you know? I love her.”
TBD why they split, but Mimi told People she had a hard time maintaining her individuality and “no matter what the article is, it’s ‘Tom Cruise’s wife...’”
1990 to 2001: Nicole Kidman
Tom and Nicole met while they were filming Days of Thunder (a total classic) and he was...extremely into her! To put it very mildly! Tom said his first reaction to meeting Nicole was “pure lust,” and he described the early days of their relationship as “totally physical.” Honestly, no wonder their chemistry was so off the charts in Eyes Wide Shut. But clearly, it was more than just pure lust, because they got married and went on to adopt two children together.
In 2001, Tom and Nicole decided to divorce. Thus, these photos were born:
At the time, they released a joint statement citing “difficulties inherent in divergent careers.” Guess that was the early aughts version of everyone’s current fave “irreconcilable differences”?
2001 to 2004: Penélope Cruz
We’ve reached the Cruise/Cruz era! Tom and Penélope met on the set of Vanilla Sky and dated for about three years, which seems like a shockingly long amount of time in retrospect? Anyway, they broke things off in March 2004, and a source told People the relationship simply “ran its course,” and their separate and distance-filled filming schedules had a lot to do with the breakup.
2005: Sofía Vergara
Yep. These two briefly dated in 2005 after Tom split with Penélope Cruz. According to Andrew Morton, the author of Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, Tom followed the church of Scientology and had to provide leaders with a list of women he was interested in pursuing at the time. On that list? Sofía Vergara, who was an up-and-coming actor in the 2000s.
However, their relationship ended before it could even really begin. “It soon became clear that she was being auditioned for the biggest role of her life—Mrs. Tom Cruise,” Andrew wrote. “It was made clear that if she took the part, she would have to renounce her Catholic faith and convert to Scientology.”
Well, that’s a totally valid reason to call things off.
2005 to 2012: Katie Holmes
Tom and Katie (or TomKat as they were called) met in 2005 and were like...extremely into the press and attention. See: Tom’s behavior on Oprah’s poor couch, which did not ask for that jump. Anyway, these two got married and had a daughter named Suri. For a minute, they were living happily ever after in some giant cabin/mansion...until they weren’t. The couple divorced in 2012, and Katie got full custody of Suri.
2020 to 2022: Hayley Atwell
These Mission Impossible costars weren’t formally confirmed to be dating, but they were a rumored item until pretty recently. According to The Sun, they split up in June of this year, and Tom is currently single and ready to mingle on a sofa near you.
2023: Shakira (Maybe)
These two met at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami in May 2023 and even snapped some pics together (see above 👀). Last summer, the “Hips Don’t Lie” hitmaker parted ways with her longtime husband Gerard Piqué amid allegations that he had cheated on her. At the time of Tom and Shak’s meeting, an anonymous source told Page Six that the Colombian singer “needs a soft pillow to fall on, and that could be Tom”...okay then!
Nothing was confirmed about the potential pair, so moving right along.
2023: Sofía Vergara (Again...Maybe)
Tom and Sofía had a brief romance in 2005 before he married Katie Holmes, and now that Sofía is in her single era again after splitting with Joe Manganiello, the Top Gun star is reportedly interested in pursuing another relationship with her.
“They had a special time together partying in the Hollywood hills and having a blast. Sofia wasn’t really giving out the signals back then that she wanted anything long-term, so it petered out in a totally amicable fashion and they remained friends,” An insider revealed to Heat via The Mirror.
“It’s always eaten away at Tom that he dumped Sofia and chose Katie,” the source said, adding that newly single Sofía “checks almost every box for Tom.”
Nothing has been confirmed, but, tbh, anything can happen in the cinematic universe that is Tom Cruise’s dating life. 🤷
Mehera Bonner is a celebrity and entertainment news writer who enjoys Bravo and Antiques Roadshow with equal enthusiasm, She was previously entertainment editor at Marie Claire and has covered pop culture for over a decade.
Sam is an assistant news editor at Cosmo, covering all things pop culture, entertainment, and celebrity news. She previously covered those same topics along with health, lifestyle, and beauty at Seventeen. When she isn't draping her cheeks in blush, you can probably find her live-tweeting awards shows or making SwiftToks.
