A Closer Look At Katie Holmes' Relationship With Her Daughter Suri

Many of us fell in love with Katie Holmes when she portrayed Joey Potter in "Dawson's Creek." Even though she was only 19 when she first rose to fame, Holmes was determined to make her acting career last, and she did just that, booking roles in films like "Thank You for Smoking" and "Batman Begins." Her career continued to thrive, and so did her love life: She married Tom Cruise in 2006, shortly after giving birth to their daughter, Suri Cruise (via InStyle). Unfortunately, the marriage didn't last, and Holmes and Cruise divorced in 2012.

The mother-daughter duo had to endure all the paparazzi craziness that erupted after the divorce and could barely show their faces in public without being bombarded by reporters. "We'd go to the park at 6 a.m. just to get outside," Holmes told InStyle in an interview. As crazy as life was (and continues to be), Holmes is incredibly happy to be a mom. Speaking to Elle, she said that she couldn't be more thankful to have become pregnant with Suri when she did. "I was happy to become a [mom] in my twenties," she revealed. "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." It's clear that Holmes has a very special bond with her daughter. Read on as we take a closer look at their relationship.

While her divorce from Tom Cruise was not part of Katie Holmes' original life plan, it brought her and Suri Cruise closer, and the two continue to be besties. Being a single mom is no easy feat, but Holmes makes it look almost effortless.

An inside source told Us Weekly that their bond is unlike anything they'd ever seen. "You'd struggle to find a mom-daughter duo who are more in sync with each other," the source revealed. "They're a real team — their connection is a beautiful thing to witness." Having a special bond with her mom must bring Suri a lot of comfort since she doesn't have any apparent contact with her dad, which is reportedly a result of his religious affiliation. Cruise is a member of the Church of Scientology, and according to a former Scientologist, Samantha Domingo, members of the church aren't allowed to have relationships with anyone outside of the organization, and for Cruise, this might well include his daughter, she later told the magazine.

Holmes adapted well to being a single parent, and she raised Suri to be a well-behaved and caring person, a source revealed, adding that Suri doesn't resemble a spoiled celebrity kid. Suri is also very protective of her mom and often showers her with love and compassion when she's having a bad day. "It's no exaggeration to say that Suri and Katie have saved each other," the source said, adding, "They really are wonderful together."

When you're as famous as Katie Holmes, the whole world is constantly watching your every move, and when her divorce from Tom Cruise became public knowledge, Holmes' life became a tad more complicated than usual. She told InStyle that it was a pretty "intense" time and that having Suri mixed up in all of it made it more so. But despite all the craziness, Suri remained her number one responsibility. She recalled going out to see the ballet at the Lincoln Center. Suri was staying over at a friend's, but later that night, she became homesick. "At 10 o'clock I got a call: 'Mommy, can you come get me?' I got a cab and went down to Battery Park to pick her up," Holmes said.

Holmes has also been adamant about keeping her daughter out of the press and social media. When you scroll through her Instagram page, it isn't littered with pictures of her and Suri. Holmes has kept her daughter's life private and wants to keep her from the public eye — she's still just a kid, after all. Holmes admitted in an interview with The Daily Telegraph (via Harper's Bazaar) that she makes a point of not discussing her daughter with the press. "I like to keep her out of my interviews," Holmes admitted. Thanks to her mom's discretion, Suri has grown up without constantly being mentioned in media outlets and social media posts.

While Katie Holmes prefers to do most things under the radar, she clearly loves to go all out when it's Suri's birthday. When Suri turned 13, Holmes treated her to a luxurious dinner at the Sant Ambroeus restaurant in New York, after which she flew Suri and two of her friends to Paris to celebrate, according to People.

The following year, Suri's birthday fell smack in the middle of the pandemic, which meant that flying to another part of the world to celebrate wasn't an option. However, this didn't keep Holmes from making her daughter's birthday special again. Speaking to ET Online, she revealed that they still had a very good time. "I think when you have less, you're more creative," she told the outlet. We're dying to know what the mother-daughter duo got up to, but Holmes didn't reveal anything more than that. However, she mentioned that the pandemic taught her and Suri some life lessons. "This year has also been a reminder that the simple things are really beautiful... those are the gifts of life," Holmes said.

When 2021 rolled around, Holmes shared some candid photos of Suri taken over the years on her Instagram page to celebrate her birthday. This was infrequent since Holmes rarely shared pictures of her daughter with the public. "Happy 15th Birthday Sweetheart! I love you!!!!!!!! I can't believe you are already 15!" Holmes captioned the post.

When the pandemic hit in full force, Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise retreated to their lake house to wait it out. While the two already had a close bond, the lockdown brought them even closer. Holmes told Amazing Magazine (via the Daily Mail) that she and Suri were fortunate enough to feel like they were on vacation. With an infinite amount of time at their disposal, they ended up watching "Dirty Dancing" about ten times. "Let me tell you, I danced to it in the living room, and it still holds up. It was fun," Holmes told the outlet. She and Suri did more than just binge-watch "Dirty Dancing," though. They also spent time cooking together and tackling some fun projects. "I painted, we had a sewing machine so we were making quilts," Holmes revealed.

In an article Holmes wrote for Vogue, she mentioned that the pandemic allowed her and Suri to simply just be for a while without any added pressure from the outside world. "To live for a moment in time without the pressure of results and instead appreciate the natural rhythms of mother and daughter was the most precious gift," Holmes wrote. The pandemic also allowed Holmes to set an example for Suri. "During this time of uncertainty, remembering to be creative and positive has been something I have tried to keep at the forefront of my mind," Holmes added, explaining that the pandemic taught them to appreciate every moment.

Katie Holmes and Suri Cruise can probably write a book about the adventures they've been on. Not only does Suri get to hop on planes to spend her birthday in other countries, but her mom takes her along on fun outings. In 2018, the two were spotted attending the American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala together (via People). Back in 2017, Suri even got the chance to introduce Taylor Swift at the New York City Z100 Jingle Ball alongside her mom.

Suri and Holmes also appeared to be basketball fans and were seen attending a game between the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers. At another game, they were spotted sharing snacks. When they're not cheering for their favorite team, the mother-daughter duo can be found frolicking on the beach. While Holmes rarely posts pictures of Suri on social media, she did share a candid photo of the two of them on the beach on her Instagram page, and it's clear they were having tons of fun in the sun. 

While attending star-studded events and basketball games is definitely amazing, Suri and Holmes also enjoy spending time together at home."Sometimes I work out with my daughter," Holmes revealed in an interview with Shape. "It just depends on the day. We have our routines, and occasionally they overlap." She added that she never forces Suri to do a workout with her unless she feels like it. " I know that's lame," Holmes added.

Since her very public divorce from Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes has been pretty private about her love life. Rumors were flying in 2013 that she and Jamie Foxx were dating, but the most PDA anyone ever saw from the couple was them holding hands. They reportedly broke up two weeks after attending the Met Gala together in 2019 (via Harper's Bazaar). Since then, Holmes has only publicly dated two other men: Chef Emilio Vitolo Jr. and musician Bobby Wooten III.

When you have a teenage daughter to think of, dating can be a bit complicated, but it appears that all Suri Cruise wants is for her mom to be happy, and she's very supportive of her mother's relationships. Holmes has been very cautious when it comes to introducing a new man into her and her daughter's lives, a source told ET Online. "Suri has always been Katie's number one priority. She has the utmost respect for her daughter..." the source revealed. They added that Holmes introduced Suri to Wooten long before the media got wind of their relationship and that the two "get along great."

"Katie has introduced her boyfriend Bobby to Suri and Suri absolutely approves of him," an inside source revealed to Hollywood Life, adding that Suri is glad to see that Wooten makes her mom happy. They also revealed that Suri recognizes the special bond her mom and Wooten share, adding that "[s]he is all for it."

Katie Holmes continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry, and her latest project, "Alone Together," has her fingerprints all over it. Holmes not only wrote the script, but she was also the director and somehow, between all that, managed to star in the film as well.

"Alone Together" is a romantic comedy that takes place during the pandemic, and the song that accompanies the opening credits ("Blue Moon") is sung by none other than Suri Cruise. When asked about her daughter's stunning rendition of the song during an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, it was clear that Holmes couldn't be prouder of Suri. "I always want the highest level of talent, so I asked her!" Holmes revealed, adding, "She's very, very talented. She said she would do it and she recorded it, and I let her do her thing."

While it's incredibly exciting to know that Suri's taken her first step into the world of entertainment, this actually wasn't the first project of her mom's that she collaborated on. Holmes revealed that Suri also recorded a song for another film she worked on titled "Rare Objects." While Holmes forgives us for thinking that Suri is sure to embark on a world tour sometime soon, she revealed that her daughter is still very much just a teenager doing teenage things. "Other than that, she's a 16-year-old kid doing high school," Holmes told the outlet.

Katie Holmes is passionate about helping others, and that's why she's involved with various humanitarian projects. "Volunteering is something I incorporate into my life," she told Shape. "I'm mindful of being part of my community, and I go to homeless shelters to help out." Naturally, she involves her daughter Suri Cruise in these endeavors as well.

One organization that's close to Holmes' heart is Artolution. This community-based public art organization aims to bring about social change using collaborative art. Holmes traveled with them to a refugee camp in Greece to get her hands dirty and help people in need. She took Suri with her, and the two of them had a blast connecting with the people and taking part in various projects (via People).

Holmes took to Instagram to share pictures of the trip, posting one of Suri playing with one of the children at the camp. "There are so many refugees all over the world, and it's incredible to see the strength of people who leave such dire circumstances to start over someplace else," Holmes told Shape, adding that she makes it a priority to continue to learn about different ways she can help people. For her, it's important to become involved in projects that bring about positive change. Suri, of course, is always watching what her mom's doing, and her involvement in these projects will likely spark the same love for helping others that her mom has.

Growing up in the spotlight can't be easy, and even though Katie Holmes has protected Suri Cruise from the public eye as much as she can, the whole world still knows who she is. It's no surprise, then, that Holmes has made it a priority to ensure her daughter knows that she's allowed to be her own person.

During an interview with InStyle, Holmes revealed that Suri is "strong-willed and curious." She's tried to set an example for Suri to follow, telling the outlet that she grew to learn that being kind is the most important thing. "You should be kind because that's what people do, not because you want people to think you are kind," she said. When it came to raising Suri, Holmes made sure her daughter knew that she was allowed to just be herself. "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," Holmes revealed, adding that Suri grew up to be a strong girl with a fierce personality.

Suri has also adopted her mother's work ethic. Holmes revealed that once Suri decides to do something, she works incredibly hard at it until she masters it, looking for the next challenge to tackle. "She's very focused and a hard worker," Holmes added. That does indeed sound familiar.