Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were married from 1990 to 2001, have long been known for their high-profile relationship and subsequent divorce, but their shared experience of parenthood remains a key part of their story. During their marriage, the couple faced fertility struggles, which led them to adopt two children—Bella, born in 1992, and Connor, born in 1995.
At the time, the decision to adopt was deeply personal for Cruise and Kidman. Both stars were open about their challenges in starting a family and their eventual choice to adopt, a decision that would have a lasting impact on their lives. The couple adopted Bella and Connor through the Church of Scientology, which both Cruise and Kidman were associated with during their marriage, although the details of the adoption process were kept relatively private.
While Bella and Connor were young when their parents separated, both have continued to maintain strong relationships with their adoptive father, Tom Cruise. Despite Kidman’s public and private struggles regarding her relationship with her children, Bella and Connor have often remained close to their father and have maintained relatively low-key lives compared to their famous parents. Bella, who is now an artist and fashion designer, and Connor, a musician and fisherman, have both kept their personal lives largely out of the public eye.
The couple’s adoption story is also marked by their dedication to providing a loving, stable home for their children, even amid their very public lives. Cruise and Kidman have both expressed immense love for their children in interviews, despite the complexities that came with raising them under intense media scrutiny. The decision to adopt, though born out of fertility challenges, has given Bella and Connor a unique upbringing, one filled with the opportunity to navigate life as the children of two of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Over the years, both Bella and Connor have chosen to forge their own paths, with Bella remaining mostly out of the spotlight and Connor pursuing a career in music. Tom and Nicole’s role as parents to their adopted children has remained an important part of their legacy, even as their personal lives have evolved since their divorce.
