Solène Delinger 2:01 p.m., March 14, 2023

Sunday March 12, 2023, the Oscars ceremony was held without a certain Tom Cruise, whose film “Top Gun: Maverick” was however nominated in six categories.

Where was the actor the night of the ceremony?

The official excuse is very simple: Tom Cruise was in England for the filming of "Mission Impossible".

But two other hypotheses surface: the star feared being mocked by Jimmy Kimmel, and meeting his ex Nicole Kidman on the red carpet. 

Tom Cruise was conspicuous by his absence on Sunday March 12, 2023, during the 95th Academy Awards.

While the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles quickly filled with the biggest Hollywood stars like Lady Gaga, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Jessica Chastain, Nicole Kidman, Salma Hayek, or Rihanna, the actor's chair of

Top Gun: Maverick 

surprisingly remained empty all evening… Jimmy Kimmel, the presenter of the ceremony, did not fail to be ironic about his absence, and that of James Cameron.

"The two guys who most insisted that we go back to the cinema are not here tonight!" he joked in his opening monologue of the ceremony.

Did Tom Cruise come to the #Oscars disguised as Judd Hirsch?

Jimmy Kimmel suspects it's possible.https://t.co/WIrxh3VWwopic.twitter.com/Za8A7cxsUU

— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 13, 2023

Tom Cruise was on the set of Mission Impossible

But where was Tom Cruise, who should have represented 

Top Gun: Maverick,

nominated in six categories?

What better could he do?

According to information from

Entertainment Tonight,

Tom Cruise had a very good reason not to be present at the Oscars since he was working on the set of his film 

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part.2,

which takes place in England.

This official excuse did not convince all of the American press, which put forward two other hypotheses.

According to

Variety,

Tom Cruise didn't come to the Oscars for fear of Jimmy Kimmel's jokes.

The actor feared that the host dared to make fun of his membership in the Church of Scientology.

The

Daily Mail

puts forward a completely different explanation: Tom Cruise was absent because he did not want to meet on the red carpet his ex Nicole Kidman, with whom he is still cold.

No matter the real reason for his absence, Tom Cruise had no real interest in attending the Oscars since he was not nominated for best actor, risked crossing his former partner on the arm of her new husband, and being ridiculed by the presenter of the ceremony.

Lady Gaga, she had much less to lose by coming to represent 

Top Gun: Maverick.

The singer received a standing ovation after singing 

Hold my Hand,

the hit from the film, on the Dolby Theater stage.

Tom Cruise, he had a narrow escape! 

Chills.



Very moving performance by Lady Gaga on "Hold My Hand" (#TopGunMaverick) #Oscarspic.twitter.com/3cuK1D3tSe

– CANAL+ (@canalplus) March 13, 2023