Jenny McCarthy is looking back on an unsettling experience at Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ 2006 wedding, claiming the actor once tried to recruit her into Scientology and describing an awkward encounter involving the couple’s infant daughter.

During the October 15 episode of The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show, the 53-year-old television personality discussed her experience with former Scientologist Anne Gollert Hill. McCarthy alleged that Cruise had attempted to bring her into the religious movement, recalling an incident at the couple’s wedding festivities that left her feeling deeply uncomfortable.

An Awkward Encounter With Baby Suri

McCarthy attended Cruise and Holmes’ rehearsal dinner in November 2006, when she was dating actor Jim Carrey. She recalled sitting directly across from the couple when their daughter, Suri, was brought into the room by a nanny.

According to McCarthy, she asked whether she could hold the baby. What followed, she claimed, was an unexpectedly tense silence, with the guests staring at her.

McCarthy compared the atmosphere to the horror film Rosemary’s Baby, saying she felt she had received what she called the “Scientology stare.”

She recalled Holmes eventually passing Suri to her. McCarthy said she simply greeted the infant before returning her to her mother, after which the other guests resumed their conversations.

Reflecting on the encounter, McCarthy said she felt as though she had entered a frightening environment. She described the experience as one of the most unsettling moments of her life.

Tom Cruise Introduced Her to Scientology Leader David Miscavige

McCarthy also remembered meeting David Miscavige, the leader of the Church of Scientology, whom Cruise introduced as his best man.

She said she congratulated Miscavige on being chosen, making a remark that she acknowledged may have sounded dismissive. According to McCarthy, he did not appreciate the comment, while Cruise laughed in an apparent attempt to ease the awkwardness.

She further recalled that Miscavige delivered a roughly 30-minute speech during the wedding ceremony. While listening, McCarthy said she watched Holmes, who appeared to her to be trying to maintain a smile throughout the moment.

The wedding took place at an Italian castle in November 2006. McCarthy said she and Carrey continued spending time with Cruise and Holmes on several occasions afterward.

During those interactions, she recalled privately checking on Holmes and asking whether she was doing all right or needed help. McCarthy said Holmes had seemed different to her as the marriage progressed, although those impressions were her own.

Jim Carrey Allegedly Suspected Cruise Was Trying to Recruit Him

McCarthy also claimed that Carrey had previously declined invitations to visit Cruise and Holmes at their home in Aspen, Colorado, because he believed the invitations were connected to efforts to recruit him into Scientology.

According to McCarthy, Cruise had called Carrey several times to invite the couple over. She said Carrey told her that he had already turned down previous attempts to bring him into the organization and was concerned another visit would lead to similar pressure.

These accounts are McCarthy’s recollections, shared during her podcast conversation. Representatives for Cruise did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the episode.

What Happened After Cruise and Holmes’ Marriage?

Cruise and Holmes were married for five years before Holmes filed for divorce in 2012. At the time, Holmes’ attorney said her primary concern was her daughter’s best interests, while Cruise’s representative confirmed that the actor was deeply saddened by the separation.

The marriage was Holmes’ first and only marriage, while Cruise had previously been married to Nicole Kidman and Mimi Rogers. Cruise shares two children with Kidman, in addition to Suri with Holmes.

In 2024, Suri legally changed her last name from Cruise to Noelle.

McCarthy’s latest comments revisit a high-profile Hollywood wedding nearly two decades later, offering her personal account of the atmosphere she experienced and the concerns she says she and Carrey had about Scientology.

Source: Compiled from various sources.