Back in the 2000s, Tom Cruise found himself embroiled in two such intriguing legal disputes. As the narrative unfolded, it took a twist no one anticipated. This is the story of the time when Cruise filed a staggering $100 million lawsuit against Chad Slater, a gay porn actor, in a bid to safeguard his reputation.
In May 2001, Tom Cruise was engaged in a lawsuit against Slater, who had claimed in an interview with French celebrity magazine Actustar that he had an affair with Cruise during his marriage to actress Nicole Kidman. Cruise vehemently denied these allegations and brought a $100 million lawsuit against the porn star.
Interestingly, Slater, who also goes by the stage name Kyle Bradford, later confessed that his initial claims were entirely false:
“I never met him and never really wanted to. I just want to put an end to it.”
Unable to afford the legal fees to defend himself, Slater chose to default on the lawsuit. Subsequently, in January 2003, a Los Angeles judge ruled in favor of Cruise, who was awarded $10 million in damages.
This wasn’t the only time Cruise had to take legal action to protect his personal reputation. In a separate incident, the actor sued Michael Davis, the publisher of Bold Magazine, who alleged he had video evidence that Cruise was gay. This lawsuit was also valued at a staggering $100 million. Ultimately, Davis made a public statement asserting that his supposed video did not feature Cruise and confirmed that Cruise was heterosexual, leading Cruise to drop the lawsuit.
Throughout these legal battles, Cruise maintained a consistent stance — he respects individuals’ sexual orientation, but he himself is not homosexual:
“While Cruise thoroughly respects others’ rights to follow their own sexual preference, he is not a homosexual and had no relationship of any kind with Kyle Bradford and does not even know him.”
It’s important to note that the allegations against Cruise occurred during a time of turmoil in his personal life. His marriage to Nicole Kidman had ended in February 2001, and the pair were focused on providing for their two adopted children, Connor and Isabella.
Despite these legal victories, Cruise didn’t pocket the money. The star chose to donate all proceeds to charitable causes.