The Tom Cruise Wife Casting Couch (with Claire Lim)

About this episode

The episode explores the influence of the Church of Scientology on Tom Cruise's relationships and public persona.

When Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah’s couch and declared “I’m in love!” he may as well have been playing one of the high octane characters that has made him a super star since the ‘80s. Was the Church of Scientology a driving force in Cruise’s marriage to Holmes? Was it part of why he divorced Nicole Kidman? Joining Tess on an illicit trip to the Celebrity Centre is Calie Lim (@weeclairehere)

People in this episode

Host: Tess Barker

Guest: Calie Lim

Topics covered

• celebrity culture
• Scientology
• marriage
• divorce
• Tom Cruise
• media

Keywords

• Tom Cruise
• Scientology
• Katie Holmes
• Nicole Kidman
• celebrity
• marriage
• divorce
• Oprah

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Church of Scientology

Books & works: Oprah

More episodes of Pop Mystery Pod

• An Alleged Tupac Assassin Stands Trial. Who Hired Him? · June 11, 2026 · 11 min
• The TMZ Secret Sauce (with Lauren Vino) · June 4, 2026 · 1h 33m
• A Literal Captive Audience · May 28, 2026 · 41 min
• The Terrifying Face Behind Those Pass It On Billboards (from the vault) · May 21, 2026 · 44 min
• Exposing “Girls Gone Wild” (with Courtney Kocak) · May 14, 2026 · 1h 15m
• The Settlement: What Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Doesn’t Want Us to Know · May 7, 2026 · 24 min