[Archive 2008-01-16] 'Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography' released, $100 million lawsuit in planning stages

Historical archive — originally published 2008-01-16. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, a biography of actor Tom Cruise written by journalist Andrew Morton, was released in the United States yesterday amidst the potential for a US$100 million lawsuit against its publisher, St. Martin's Press. The book will not be published in Australia, Britain, and New Zealand due to strict libel laws in those countries. Morton had previously written the biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, Diana: Her True Story. The book has reached number nine on Amazon.com's list of top sellers.

Morton spent two years doing research for the book, and spoke with individuals who knew Cruise personally, and executives within the Church of Scientology. Morton stated that some of these executives emailed him, confirming the accuracy of material within the book. Morton described the desire for anonymity by some of the sources in the book "Some people, obviously, will not go on the record to talk about Tom Cruise because they’re scared of him."

Morton explained his motivation for writing the book "He's no longer just an actor or producer, but a powerful advocate for a cult that's out to expand, especially in Europe." Morton stated that his interest was piqued after Cruise jumped on Oprah's couch during a May 23, 2005 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and got into a heated debate with Matt Lauer about his beliefs regarding psychiatry during a June 24, 2005 appearance on The Today Show.

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