Nicole Kidman And Tom Cruise's Son Connor Is All Grown Up Now

In the early 1990s, when Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were married and two of the biggest young stars in Hollywood, they adopted two children together. A daughter named Isabella Cruise came first, and a son called Connor Cruise followed a few years later. In 1995, the "Birth" star spoke to Vanity Fair about her journey to motherhood. "It's fate, completely. The adoption was a very spontaneous thing; we decided to adopt [Isabella] because the situation came up," she said. "I just believe, for whatever reason, that these children were meant to be in our family."

Things have soured in the decades since. Kidman and Cruise went through a highly publicized divorce, and their high-profile careers took them to different parts of the world right as their children were growing up. As a result, the kids' relationships with their parents have differed over the years.

What's more, the Cruise kids are not children anymore. Though Connor Cruise has been a part of the famous family since he was mere months old, he's now all grown up, living his own life separate from the entertainment industry world of his parents. Read on to learn about what Connor Cruise's life is like now.

In 2008, as a teenager, Connor Cruise followed in his parents' footsteps and dabbled in acting. He played the younger version of Will Smith's character in the film "Seven Pounds," appearing in flashbacks. Despite having two incredibly famous and commercially successful parents, Connor had to read for the part. Tom Cruise even accompanied his son to the audition, but director Gabriele Muccino wouldn't let him in the room. "Will [Smith] and I were like, 'How's he doing?' And the director just said, 'Out!'" Tom told the Associated Press. "So we were standing in the hall for about half an hour or something, wondering, 'What's going on in there? What's happening?'" Ultimately, Connor got the part.

Even though the role was relatively small, Smith was excited to have his friend's son in the film. While speaking with reporters at a premiere, he gave his young co-star a glowing review. "Connor was really professional, not nervous at all," he said, joking that Connor might have a future in the family business, should he want it. "He's got a couple good role models in his life, so I think he might be able to put something together," Smith grinned.

Speaking with the Associated Press, however, the "Mission: Impossible" star wasn't sure his son would stick with it. Noting that Connor has grown up on film sets, Tom wondered, "Who knows what he's going to do?" 

Connor Cruise followed his role in "Seven Pounds" with a part in 2012's "Red Dawn" remake, but then he shifted gears. By 2013, five years after he first dipped his toe in the entertainment industry, Cruise seemed to have hit on a different career path than his parents. That year, TMZ reported that Tom Cruise visited Hyde Sunset in Hollywood, a club where his son had a residency as a DJ. "Our spies say Tom only drank sparkling water all night and was in a great mood the whole time, being super courteous to the staff and everyone around him," the outlet reported.

Connor kept up the DJ career for several years, spinning in Atlantic City, too. In 2016, he even gave a rare interview. in support of a DJ set at Atlantic City venue The Pool After Dark, revealing that his burgeoning career as a DJ had taken him around the world. "I've done a lot of stuff in South America and Latin America. I love going down there a lot," he told GoToWhitney. "But really, just touring around the world is fun. I enjoy traveling." 

Connor Cruise's DJ career quieted down after those first few years of success and travel, and he seems to have concentrated on outdoor activities like fishing instead. In 2016, Radar Online reported that Cruise was working as a professional fisherman down in Florida, going out on early-morning expeditions that paid him $850 for six hours of work. "Connor's done some growing up these past few months and decided he doesn't want to live his life spending his dad's money," a source told the outlet, insisting that Cruise was now supporting himself. "He loves being out on the water," the source said, "so this is really a dream job for him."

Cruise still posts regularly about his fishing exploits on his Instagram, including in 2022, when he revealed that he'd been working with an organization that donates fish to people in need. Cruise personally donated 300 pounds of Warsaw grouper to the organization, and he wrote in an Instagram caption, "glad the fish was able to go and help those in need of it!!" 

It seems that Nicole Kidman was happy to hear about her son's career change. "Nicole hated that Connor was a club DJ. All she ever wanted for him was a normal, happy upbringing," the insider told Radar Online. "It now looks like he's finally found his way."

Now that Connor Cruise isn't interested in a career in the entertainment industry himself, he seems to be living a quiet life in Florida. According to sources who spoke with People, he lives in Clearwater, a town known for its ties to the Church of Scientology. "Connor has a pretty simple life in Clearwater. He lives in his own home in a Scientology community," the source said. "His life is deep-sea fishing. He has a lot of friends and seems very well-liked." Scientology is, of course, the highly-controversial religion that counts Tom Cruise as one of its most prominent followers.

On Instagram, Connor shows off his Florida life sporadically. In 2023, he posted a photo of himself on a golf course, captioned simply with two golf emojis. In addition to various photos posing with various fish, the "Red Dawn" star is often pictured grilling various meats. In 2020, alongside one video, he wrote, "Let it burn."

People noted that Tom Cruise also relocated to Clearwater. In 2018, he sold his Los Angeles home and renovated a penthouse in Florida instead. "When Tom is here, he's surrounded by people, but he really seems very happy," one source said, noting that they've seen the "Eyes Wide Shut" star out and about with various Scientology officials. "He'll wave and smile," the source said, "but he doesn't really engage in conversation."

Even though he is all grown up now, it seems that Connor Cruise and his father, Tom Cruise, are still very close. In fact, while the "War of the Worlds" star hasn't been pictured with daughters Suri Cruise and Isabella Cruise in quite a while, Tom and Connor still hang out in full view of cameras every so often. 

In June 2024, for example, Tom attended Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in London right around the time that Suri, the daughter he shares with ex-wife Katie Holmes, graduated from high school. (It's far from the only milestone in Suri's life that Tom has missed.) Days later, he and Connor took a helicopter flight around the city. As E! News noted, Connor was photographed during the excursion wearing a Pelican Golf Club baseball cap — the same club where he posted an Instagram photo enjoying his time on the links.

Sources who spoke with People said the pair's commitment to Scientology is what has allowed the father-son duo to remain close. In fact, they were spotted on a helicopter ride around London back in 2019, too. "Tom and Connor stepping out together in London was a big deal. It was the same weekend that Scientology does their annual gathering called the International Association of Scientologists," a source told the outlet. "Tom has attended numerous times in the past, but this appears to be the first time Connor has gone."

While Connor Cruise still seems to be close with his father, the same doesn't appear to be true about his relationship with his mom, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman. After the "Moulin Rouge" star divorced Tom, Connor chose to go live with his father instead. Kidman went on to remarry Keith Urban, and the two would welcome two daughters. In a 2008 interview with Glamour, Kidman shared that she tried to visit Connor and Isabella Cruise as much as she could. "My children are a huge part of my life, so we spend time in L.A. for the kids, but I don't have any kinds of roots there," she said.

However, even then, their relationship seemed rocky. "My kids don't call me mommy, they don't even call me mom," she told GMTV in 2007 (via Hello!). "They call me Nicole, which I hate and tell them off for it."

Scientology, it seems, may be part of the reason why they're no longer as close as they once were. In 2019, Kidman spoke with The Sun about her strained relationship with her adopted children. "Motherhood is about the journey. There are going to be incredible peaks and valleys, whether you are an adopting mother or a birth mother. What a child needs is love," she said, before diving into the meat of the issue. "They have made choices to be Scientologists," Kidman added. "It's our job as a parent to always offer unconditional love."