Are Tom Cruise's Exes Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes Friends?

Top Gun: Maverick has been instant hit since it first premiered in theaters and the fandom has quickly grown for the sequel much like it did for the 1986 original. Viewers were eager to see Tom Cruise return to the big screen as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who was tasked with training a whole new class of recruits for the Top Gun program. Coupled with meeting the children of his old military friends (like Miles Teller's Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw) and the return of fan-favorites (a.k.a. Val Kilmer as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky), there's a lot for fans to be curious about.

Speaking of piqued interest, fans have also been wondering a bit about Tom's relationship status. Or rather, what's going on with some of his high-profile exes. If you've been following Tom for long enough, you'd know the Rain Man star has been married three times to actresses Mimi Rogers (1987-1990), Nicole Kidman (1990-2001) and Katie Holmes (2006-2012). Given that the latter two have remained in Hollywood's spotlight after their divorces, longtime fans have been wondering if Nicole and Katie ever struck up a friendship.

The answer? It may genuinely surprise you.

As it turns out, the women definitely had a rapport while Katie was married to Tom in the late aughts. This would make sense as the Dawson's Creek actress not only shared daughter Suri with the Mission: Impossible actor, she was also stepmom to Nicole and Tom's kids, Isabella and Connor. But no one would've known that Nicole and Katie even had some sort of friendship behind-the-scenes because neither one discussed the other in interviews. In fact, Nicole often refrains from talking about anything involving her Risky Business ex-husband, telling The Cut in October 2018:

While it may have looked like the Being the Ricardos actress and Mad Money star didn't have much in common past their shared ex, the two bonded over one major storyline in both of their lives: figuring out a way to get out of their respective marriages to the star. In fact, when Katie filed for divorce in June 2012, she sought out advice from the Big Little Lies star for the best way to do so, both personally and legally.

"They’ve spoken over the last few weeks," a source told Us Weekly at the time of Katie and Tom's divorce. "Nicole has been supportive, saying she’s been through it too and to hang in there."

Almost a decade later, another source told OK! Magazine the same thing, saying that the two related to each other on the subject of being married to one of biggest actors in Hollywood. "They shared a very unique experience,” a source said to the outlet in August 2021. “Nicole knew firsthand how difficult it was to walk away from Tom and the stress that comes with being married to such a huge star.”

Fans may think that Katie divorcing Tom would've been the end to hers and Nicole's relationship ... and it kind of was. The two have since moved on from their respective marriages but it doesn't mean they don't have each other's backs. The same source continued to tell OK!, "[Katie] has a lot of respect for Nicole as one of the best actresses of her generation and also as a compassionate and impressive human being."

So there you have it. Two drastically different women, both tied to the same man forever. And who knows? Maybe they're still giving each other advice on how to handle being in Tom's shadow, even years after their divorces.

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