Jerrod Carmichael Shocks With Joke About Tom Cruise and Scientologist Shelly Miscavige

Golden Globes host Jerrod Carmichael incited a ballroom’s worth of gasps from the celebrities at Tuesday night’s ceremony, with his shocking joke about Tom Cruise and Scientology.

“Backstage I found the awards that Tom Cruise returned,” Carmichael said, clutching three trophies. He was presumably referencing Cruise’s public statement that he was returning his awards to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association following its scandals last year. Then the kicker: “I say we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige.”

After what seemed like a beat to process the joke, there were audible gasps throughout the audience.

Shelly Miscavige is a high-profile member of Scientology, who is married to the organization’s leader, David Miscavige, and has not been seen in public since August 2007. Her “disappearance” from the public eye has been the subject of concern for many of Scientology’s detractors. In November, Leah Remini, an actress and outspoken former Scientologist, published a Twitter thread with her own suspicions about there being cover-ups and malfeasance involved in Miscavige’s 15-year absence.

After Carmichael's bit went viral online, Remini tweeted out a clip with the caption, “Where is Shelly??”

The question of “Where is Shelly?” is often considered one of the biggest controversies involving the organization. And, of course, Cruise is the most high-profile celebrity Scientologist.

Carmichael referencing Scientology at all during a Hollywood industry ceremony is crossing a previous taboo; invoking Miscavige and suggesting that Cruise might have knowledge of what’s going on is another level of shock.

Making things even more awkward: Carmichael’s remarks came as he was introducing two presenters from Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell and Jay Ellis. In the midst of a speech about how impactful Top Gun has been this year, Powell delivered the understatement of the night: “It’s a good thing Tom’s not here.”

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