Connor, Kidman, and Isabella at a Lakers game in December 2004. (Getty Images)When Nicole Kidman was served with divorce papers by Tom Cruise in 2001, she didn’t just lose a husband – she also lost the relationship she had with her two adopted children with the actor, Isabella and Connor. In the 11 years since the split, the “Rabbit Hole” actress has only been seen with the kids a handful of times and she has gone on record to say they don’t even call her “Mom.” Now, Vanity Fair is revealing why: because she was not a Scientologist, like their father.
Tom Cruise's Scientology marriages: the secret wife auditioning process before Katie
In the magazine’s October issue, special correspondent Maureen Orth gives an in-depth look into Cruise’s controversial religion. In addition to reporting that he “auditioned” women to be his wife before Katie Holmes, Orth also claims that members of the church turned Isabella and Connor, who were 8 and 6 respectively at the time, against their mother. "The central problem [in the marriage] was Nicole did not want to deal with Scientology," former high-ranking Scientologist Marty Rathbun tells VF.
See all seven of Cruise's Vanity Fair covers
After the split from Cruise, Kidman, 45, was labeled a
“Suppressive Person,” or SP, which is what Scientologists call those who they
deem toxic to their beliefs – and Isabella and Connor, now 19 and 17, were
urged to view their mother as an SP. "They rejected Nicole – they've been
instructed," John Brousseau, who was a Scientologist for 32 years until
2010 and formerly the bodyguard and brother-in-law to church leader David Miscavige,
tells VF. "They took a course, P.T.S./S.P., Potential
Trouble Source/Suppressive Person, for persons connected in their lives who are
an S.P. [Bella and Connor] whispered to me, 'J.B., Nicole is an S.P.! Our mom's
an S.P. – we hate going and seeing her.'"
[Related: Tom Cruise's secret Scientology girlfriend pre-Katie Holmes: Who is Nazanin Boniadi?]
Cruise's lawyer, Aaron J. Moss, tells omg!: "It is absolutely false that Mr. Cruise (or anyone else to his
knowledge), did or said anything to lessen Connor and Bella’s
communication or relationship with their mother Nicole Kidman. On the
contrary, Mr. Cruise did all he could to encourage that relationship."
Brousseau and other sources tell Orth that Scientology
members were also instructed to not see any of Kidman’s films. "The
Scientology world hated Nicole," Brousseau adds. "People in Sea Org
were mandated to see every freaking Tom Cruise movie that came out. But if you
ever mentioned an inkling to see a movie with Nicole, oh my God, you'd hear
about it."
[Related: Celebs who used surrogates (Photos)]
All claims made by VF, including the report that Isabella and Connor were turned against Kidman, have been adamantly denied by The Church of Scientology. Kidman's rep did not comment to VF or omg! when contacted.
After splitting from Cruise, Kidman went on to marry country singer Keith Urban and has two biological children of her own: Sunday Rose, 4, and Faith Margaret, 21 months.
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