‘Where was Tom Cruise?’ David Letterman asks Jimmy Kimmel

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show Wednesday, David Letterman had nothing but praise for the way Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night, saying the show has “never been more successful.”

But Letterman asked a question that’s been on many people’s minds since the Oscars. “Here’s something that may be a little sensitive,” Letterman said to Kimmel.  “Where was Tom Cruise?”

Letterman also said Tom Cruise — “Mr. Big Shot” — “should have been there.”

David Letterman grilling Jimmy Kimmel on why Tom Cruise want at The Oscar’s pic.twitter.com/k7h4NUdl6f

— Navy (@TomCruiseNavy) March 16, 2023

As Kimmel noted during his opening monologue at the Oscars, Cruise wasn’t going to make it to the show, even though he was nominated for a best-picture award, as a producer for “Top Gun: Maverick.” By shepherding “Top Gun” into a $1.48 billion worldwide theatrical blockbuster, Cruise has been credited with “saving Hollywood” at a tumultuous time for the film industry.

Kimmel paused after Letterman’s question, then said, “We don’t know where Tom Cruise was. We heard ‘production issues.’”

When Letterman called that excuse “nonsense,” Kimmel said, “”Exactly, it’s very non-specific, but we have no idea what happened.”

Following the ceremony, reports surfaced that Cruise was unable to attend because he was filming the latest “Mission: Impossible” movie overseas. But speculation also emerged over other reasons Cruise may have skipped the globally televised awards show, regarded as the biggest annual event in the entertainment industry.

One theory is that Cruise knew “Top Gun” wasn’t going to win best picture over “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” so he didn’t think he would be missed. Another theory is that he was disappointed he wasn’t nominated in the best actor category.

Other industry experts suggested that he didn’t want to deal with an awkward run-in with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, who was asked to present the best director award. In a tweet, New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan wondered whether Cruise’s no-show was due to concern that he would be the target of jokes about his messy personal life, including his bitter divorce from Kidman, or about his devotion to the controversial Church of Scientology.

Likewise, Puck founder Matthew Belloni said that the famously type-A Cruise doesn’t like to place himself in public situations over which he has little control. Others, who lamented that the Oscars weren’t as jam-packed with celebrities as in the past, said Cruise may have been letting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know that its show needed him more than he needed the show.

Whatever Cruise’s reasons for staying away, he was the target of some jokes from Kimmel. The humor started off gently enough with the show opening with a direct nod to “Top Gun.” Kimmel digitally inserted himself into the film’s climactic dogfight scene, riding behind Cruise’s Maverick character in the cockpit, with Cruise’s Maverick intensely urging him to “eject, eject, eject!”

“Why are you like this, Tom?” Kimmel asks, no doubt referring to Cruise’s reputation for being intense.

After Kimmel parachute-landed onto the Dolby stage, he launched into his monologue, in which he jokingly referred to “a small independent film called ‘Top Gun.’”

“The movie that saved the movies,” Kimmel said, repeating Steven Spielberg’s proclamation in February that Cruise “saved Hollywood’s ass.”

“Everyone loved ‘Top Gun,’” Kimmel continued. “Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene. L. Ron Hubba-hubba.”

With this reference to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, Kimmel was wading into territory that comedians and awards show hosts have shied away from in the past. People have long been worried about getting on the wrong side of Cruise or of the famously litigious church.

Whatever Cruise’s reasons for skipping she show, he resurfaced Tuesday, being photographed attending actor Michael Caine’s 90th birthday party in London.

Tom Cruise attends Michael Caine’s 90th birthday party. pic.twitter.com/EBLqndbH7u

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 15, 2023

Letterman lamented to Kimmel that Cruise wasn’t at the Oscars Sunday night, celebrating “his big jet-pack Maverick show.” Letterman seemed to buy into the theory that Cruise skipped the Oscars because he knew “Top Gun” wasn’t going to win best picture.

“Between you and me, he should have been there, right?” Letterman said.

“Yeah, of course,” Kimmel replied, “He is the Prince of Hollywood.”

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show Wednesday, David Letterman had nothing but praise for the way Kimmel hosted the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday night, saying the show has “never been more successful.”

But Letterman asked a question that’s been on many people’s minds since the Oscars. “Here’s something that may be a little sensitive,” Letterman said to Kimmel.  “Where was Tom Cruise?”

Letterman also said Tom Cruise — “Mr. Big Shot” — “should have been there.”

David Letterman grilling Jimmy Kimmel on why Tom Cruise want at The Oscar’s pic.twitter.com/k7h4NUdl6f

— Navy (@TomCruiseNavy) March 16, 2023

As Kimmel noted during his opening monologue at the Oscars, Cruise wasn’t going to make it to the show, even though he was nominated for a best-picture award, as a producer for “Top Gun: Maverick.” By shepherding “Top Gun” into a $1.48 billion worldwide theatrical blockbuster, Cruise has been credited with “saving Hollywood” at a tumultuous time for the film industry.

Kimmel paused after Letterman’s question, then said, “We don’t know where Tom Cruise was. We heard ‘production issues.’”

When Letterman called that excuse “nonsense,” Kimmel said, “”Exactly, it’s very non-specific, but we have no idea what happened.”

Following the ceremony, reports surfaced that Cruise was unable to attend because he was filming the latest “Mission: Impossible” movie overseas. But speculation also emerged over other reasons Cruise may have skipped the globally televised awards show, regarded as the biggest annual event in the entertainment industry.

One theory is that Cruise knew “Top Gun” wasn’t going to win best picture over “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” so he didn’t think he would be missed. Another theory is that he was disappointed he wasn’t nominated in the best actor category.

Other industry experts suggested that he didn’t want to deal with an awkward run-in with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman, who was asked to present the best director award. In a tweet, New York Times writer Kyle Buchanan wondered whether Cruise’s no-show was due to concern that he would be the target of jokes about his messy personal life, including his bitter divorce from Kidman, or about his devotion to the controversial Church of Scientology.

Likewise, Puck founder Matthew Belloni said that the famously type-A Cruise doesn’t like to place himself in public situations over which he has little control. Others, who lamented that the Oscars weren’t as jam-packed with celebrities as in the past, said Cruise may have been letting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know that its show needed him more than he needed the show.

Whatever Cruise’s reasons for staying away, he was the target of some jokes from Kimmel. The humor started off gently enough with the show opening with a direct nod to “Top Gun.” Kimmel digitally inserted himself into the film’s climactic dogfight scene, riding behind Cruise’s Maverick character in the cockpit, with Cruise’s Maverick intensely urging him to “eject, eject, eject!”

“Why are you like this, Tom?” Kimmel asks, no doubt referring to Cruise’s reputation for being intense.

After Kimmel parachute-landed onto the Dolby stage, he launched into his monologue, in which he jokingly referred to “a small independent film called ‘Top Gun.’”

“The movie that saved the movies,” Kimmel said, repeating Steven Spielberg’s proclamation in February that Cruise “saved Hollywood’s ass.”

“Everyone loved ‘Top Gun,’” Kimmel continued. “Tom Cruise with his shirt off in that beach football scene. L. Ron Hubba-hubba.”

With this reference to L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, Kimmel was wading into territory that comedians and awards show hosts have shied away from in the past. People have long been worried about getting on the wrong side of Cruise or of the famously litigious church.

Whatever Cruise’s reasons for skipping she show, he resurfaced Tuesday, being photographed attending actor Michael Caine’s 90th birthday party in London.

Tom Cruise attends Michael Caine’s 90th birthday party. pic.twitter.com/EBLqndbH7u

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) March 15, 2023

Letterman lamented to Kimmel that Cruise wasn’t at the Oscars Sunday night, celebrating “his big jet-pack Maverick show.” Letterman seemed to buy into the theory that Cruise skipped the Oscars because he knew “Top Gun” wasn’t going to win best picture.

“Between you and me, he should have been there, right?” Letterman said.

“Yeah, of course,” Kimmel replied, “He is the Prince of Hollywood.”