Already have an account?
Get back to the

Matt Lauer Brings Up Infamous Tom Cruise Interview During Sit-Down With Katie Holmes: Watch Her Reaction

Oh man, Matt! Longtime Today show cohost Matt Lauer took a walk down memory lane on Tuesday, February 9, and alluded to his infamous discussion with Tom Cruise from more than 10 years ago during a live sit-down with Katie Holmes. 

About a poet who suffers from bipolar disorder, Holmes’ new indie flick, Touched With Fire, explores the use of drugs to treat mental illness. This reminded Lauer of his unforgettable exchange with Cruise during a June 2005 interview, in which the two men debated the merits of psychiatry. The chat turned sour and ended with Holmes’ ex-husband (a noted scientologist skeptical about psychiatric drugs) calling Lauer “glib.”

“It also asks the question: Is it beneficial to treat these people with drugs?” Lauer noted to Holmes on Tuesday. “You and I both remember a heated discussion I got into on that subject here in this studio. How do you think the movie comes down on that? Where does it lead the viewer?”

Related: PHOTOS: Talk Show Controversies and Feuds: The Biggest Ever

Matt Lauer interviews actor Tom Cruise on June 23, 2005. Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Holmes smiled slightly and politely nodded as she acknowledged the altercation between Lauer and her ex. “Right,” she replied. “Well, what I think that our director did a wonderful job with is — this movie kind of just shows this is it. These two characters are in a love story, which he says is kind of its own mania. He puts the question out there for the audience to make the question.”

Matt Lauer and Katie Holmes NBC

“They can live their own lives on the medication, but they don’t feel like they are living full lives,” Lauer replies.

Related: PHOTOS: Today Show's Biggest and Most Memorable Moments

Nearly 11 years ago, Lauer and Cruise went toe-to-toe during the time when the A-lister was promoting his blockbuster flick War of the Worlds. A completely flustered Cruise ended up criticizing his pal Brooke Shields for taking antidepressants, and then he called Lauer out.

“It’s very impressive to listen to you, because clearly you’ve done the homework,” Lauer acknowledged to Cruise at the time. “And you know the subject.”

Cruise famously replied: “And you should. You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do. You just communicate about it. If I want to know something, I go and find out. Because I don’t talk about things that I don’t understand.”

Watch Holmes react up top!

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!