Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s split in the early 2000s is etched into Hollywood lore. The pair’s split in the early 2000s became one of the most famous celebrity breakups, and the Undoing actress has opened up about their past marriage several times over the years.
More than 20 years later, fans still wonder what went wrong. Now, in 2025, another major chapter has unfolded: after 19 years of marriage, Nicole has filed for divorce from her second husband, country star Keith Urban.
Amid the shocking news, here’s a look back at why things didn’t work out between Tom and Nicole first.
Nicole has long maintained that age played a major role in why her marriage to Tom didn’t last. The two tied the knot in 1990, when she was just 23, and split more than a decade later. In a 2013 interview with Vanity Fair, Nicole explained, “You know, with no disrespect to what I had with Tom, I’ve met my great love now… I was a child, really, when I got married. And I needed to grow up.” At the time, she was referring to her second husband, Keith, as her “great love.”
Reflecting on their relationship, the Aquaman star recalled how intensely close they were at the time. “There is something about that sort of existence that, if you really focus on each other and you’re in that bubble, it’s very intoxicating, because it’s just the two of you,” she said. “And there is only one other person that’s going through it. So, it brings you very close, and it’s deeply romantic.”
Although Nicole has attributed the split to her youth, multiple outlets have reported that Tom’s deep ties to the Church of Scientology may have also played a role. Neither Nicole nor Tom has ever publicly confirmed that speculation.
In 2001, the Mission Impossible franchise star filed for divorce from the Academy Award winner and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason. Throughout the years, many have speculated over who was the one to end the marriage.
