Katy Perry and Tom Cruise: Are They Dating? The Truth
Katy Perry and Tom Cruise are two of the most famous names in entertainment — and despite what the search bar suggests, they are not dating. So why are “Katy Perry and Tom Cruise” searched together so often? The answer is a hilarious true story from Perry’s childhood: she was once suspended from school for “humping a tree” while pretending it was Tom Cruise, a suspension report she gleefully shared with the world in 2019. Add a 2011 concert photo of Cruise in the audience and two decades of tabloid curiosity, and you have the full story behind one of Hollywood’s funniest celebrity pairings.
🎤 Quick Info: Katy Perry & Tom Cruise
| Katy Perry | Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, October 25, 1984, Santa Barbara, California. Pop superstar behind “I Kissed a Girl,” “Firework,” and “Roar.” Former American Idol judge. |
| Tom Cruise | Born July 3, 1962, Syracuse, New York. Hollywood leading man of Top Gun, Mission: Impossible, and Top Gun: Maverick. |
| Relationship status | Never dated. Perry’s famous connection to Cruise is a childhood crush that got her suspended from school in 1996. |
| Known since | Perry has admired Cruise since childhood; their only public crossover was Cruise attending her 2011 concert. |
| Notable fact | In January 2019, Perry posted her 1996 suspension report: suspended three days for making “sexual motions” at a tree she pretended was Tom Cruise. |
Table of Contents
- Who Is Katy Perry?
- Who Is Tom Cruise?
- Katy Perry and Tom Cruise: Are They Dating?
- The Tree Story: Katy Perry’s 1996 Suspension
- Katy Perry’s Relationship Timeline
- Tom Cruise’s Current Relationship Status
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who Is Katy Perry?
Katy Perry, born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson on October 25, 1984, in Santa Barbara, California, is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Raised in a strict religious household, she started out singing gospel music before reinventing herself as a pop star. Her 2008 breakout “I Kissed a Girl” made her a global sensation, followed by the record-breaking album Teenage Dream and anthems like “Firework” and “Roar.” She served as a judge on American Idol from 2018 to 2024 and launched The Lifetimes Tour in 2025. Her full story is on the Katy Perry Wikipedia page.
Who Is Tom Cruise?
Tom Cruise, born July 3, 1962, in Syracuse, New York, has been Hollywood’s most bankable action star for four decades. After early hits like Risky Business (1983) and Top Gun (1986), he became synonymous with the Mission: Impossible franchise — famous for performing his own death-defying stunts — and scored a massive late-career triumph with Top Gun: Maverick (2022). Off-screen, his marriages to Nicole Kidman (1990–2001) and Katie Holmes (2006–2012) kept him in the headlines for years. More on his career at the Tom Cruise Wikipedia page.
Katy Perry and Tom Cruise: Are They Dating?
No — Katy Perry and Tom Cruise have never been romantically involved. There are no reports of them dating and no statements from either star suggesting anything beyond mutual awareness as fellow celebrities. Their paths crossed publicly in one notable way: in August 2011, Tom Cruise and his then-wife Katie Holmes were spotted in the audience at a sold-out Katy Perry concert in Los Angeles — where Perry’s own husband at the time, Russell Brand, was also watching from a few feet away. It was a celebrity-night-out story, not a romance.
The reason people keep pairing their names is simpler and funnier than any dating rumor: Perry’s very public, very enthusiastic childhood crush on Cruise — the crush that literally got her suspended from school.
The Tree Story: Katy Perry’s 1996 Suspension
In January 2019, Perry went through old memorabilia with her parents and posted a gem to her Instagram story: her official suspension report from Santa Barbara Christian School, dated November 1996. The report, written by her exasperated teachers, explained that 12-year-old Katy Hudson was suspended for three days for “inappropriate behavior.” The details: during recess, Katy and four classmates were practicing a skit in an off-limits area when Katy “pretended that a tree was Tom Cruise and began making sexual motions (pelvic thrusts) to the tree.” Asked to explain herself, she described it as “inappropriate” and “like making out.”
The report also revealed this was far from her first offense — she had previously been warned for wearing crop tops, playing spin the bottle, doing the Macarena, and saying “Oh my God.” The internet adored the story, and PAPER Magazine’s write-up of the tree-humping suspension became one of the most-shared celebrity throwbacks of the year. Whenever someone searches “Katy Perry and Tom Cruise” today, this is the story they are really looking for.
Katy Perry’s Relationship Timeline
Perry’s real romantic history has nothing to do with Tom Cruise. She was married to comedian Russell Brand from 2010 to 2012, then had an on-off relationship with singer John Mayer. In 2016 she began dating actor Orlando Bloom; Bloom proposed on Valentine’s Day 2019, and their daughter, Daisy Dove, was born in August 2020. After nearly a decade together, Perry and Bloom ended their engagement in June 2025, with their representatives saying they were focusing on co-parenting Daisy. Weeks later, Perry was linked to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom she reportedly met during her Lifetimes Tour — and by 2026 she was publicly calling him the love of her life.
Tom Cruise’s Current Relationship Status
Cruise has not had a confirmed public relationship since his 2012 divorce from Katie Holmes. Over the years he has been linked in tabloids to various women — from fellow Scientologist Laura Prepon in 2013 to more recent speculation about stars like Shakira — but none of it has been confirmed, and Cruise himself almost never discusses his dating life. In his 60s, he appears focused on his blockbuster film career and his Mission: Impossible legacy. Katy Perry’s name does not appear anywhere in his romantic history — except as the little girl who once got in trouble at school over him.
For more celebrity-pair explainers, see Elon Musk and Camila Cabello and Stefon Diggs and Cardi B’s relationship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Katy Perry and Tom Cruise dating?
No. They have never dated or been romantically linked in any credible report. Their only real-life connection is Perry’s childhood crush on Cruise.
What is the Katy Perry tree story?
In 1996, 12-year-old Katy Hudson was suspended for three days from Santa Barbara Christian School for pretending a tree was Tom Cruise and making “sexual motions” toward it during a playground skit. She revealed the suspension report on Instagram in January 2019.
Did Tom Cruise and Katy Perry ever meet?
They were in the same room at least once — Cruise and then-wife Katie Holmes attended Perry’s sold-out Los Angeles concert in August 2011 — but there is no record of a personal meeting or friendship.
Who is Katy Perry dating now?
As of 2026, Perry has been publicly linked to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, following her June 2025 split from fiancé Orlando Bloom, with whom she shares daughter Daisy Dove.
Is Tom Cruise in a relationship?
No confirmed relationship. Cruise has not publicly dated anyone since his 2012 divorce from Katie Holmes, despite years of tabloid speculation.
Why do people search “Katy Perry and Tom Cruise” together?
Almost entirely because of the viral 1996 school suspension story — it is one of the most beloved celebrity throwback anecdotes on the internet.
Katy Perry and Tom Cruise may never share a red carpet as a couple, but they share something almost as memorable: one of the funniest origin stories in pop culture. Some celebrity pairings are about romance — this one is about a tree, a recess skit, and the most famous school suspension report ever shared online.
