This Celeb’s Dad Once Questioned Tom Cruise’s Sexuality: "Please, Lord, Let Me Vanish"

Persistent rumors have come up about Tom Cruise's sexuality since his Hollywood debut, although there's no strong evidence for this. Nevertheless, there have been instances where individuals have boldly discussed the subject with him. One such instance occurred during the filming of Jerry Maguire in 1996 when Cuba Gooding Jr.'s father directly inquired about Cruise's sexuality. This uncomfortable conversation was recalled by Gooding Jr. during a 2012 appearance on The Graham Norton Show in England, as reported by Vulture.

He said, "He hugged Tom Cruise and said, 'I love you man. Now seriously, are you gay or not?' I almost fainted. And I thought, 'Please Lord, let me disappear." Despite his costar's father making a wrongful assumption about him, Cruise wasn’t offended. Gooding Jr. said, "Tom just laughed and said, 'No.'" Furthermore, in 2001, Cruise initiated legal action against an individual spreading rumors about his sexuality, according to The Guardian. The lawsuit targeted a person identified as Michael Davis, who had allegedly claimed to have video evidence of Cruise engaging in a relationship with another man and had shared these claims with multiple media sources.

Just a month before that lawsuit, the Mission: Impossible star had filed another legal action, this time against Chad Slater, a gay porn star and erotic wrestler. Slater allegedly claimed to have had a brief relationship with Cruise, which reportedly contributed to Cruise's separation from Nicole Kidman. Bert Fields, Cruise's lawyer, had commented on the earlier lawsuit at that time. He said, "[Cruise] is a great respecter of homosexual rights, but he's not gay, and he's ready to prove this in court. Tom is tired of it and it hurts his children. It's something that will be there forever. And damn it, he's going to stop it."

During that period, rumors swirled that Cruise had married only to quash the speculation, but he successfully refuted this claim. Cruise won after Slater agreed that his story was not true. Yet, similar rumors resurfaced in the media following Cruise's divorce from Katie Holmes. Meanwhile, during the interview, Gooding Jr. expressed weariness at people constantly quoting the most famous line from Jerry Maguire, "Show me the money!" As reported by TODAY, he said, "It doesn’t go away. I get it all the time."

He further continued, "I wish I had a wand that would make people disappear whenever they say it. It's hard especially when some drunk guy in a bar asks and finally you say it and he says, 'No, say it like you said it in the movie!'" In other news, rumors about Cruise weren't limited to his personal life. Fans and media outlets also speculated about Cruise undergoing plastic surgery. Cruise tried to dispel the rumors and said, "I haven't, and I never would." Nevertheless, the gossip continued and Cruise found himself once more bombarded with rumors, as detailed by Nicki Swift.