Tom Cruise might be famed for his passion for Scientology, but it recently saw the actor roasted at this year's Golden Globes.
The Top Gun star, now 60, was mocked by host Jerrod Carmichael on Tuesday (10 January) over his decision to return his gongs to the HFPA in 2021.
Holding the gongs up on the show, he joked: "I have a pitch. I think maybe we take these three things and exchange them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige."
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Now, in case you're unfamiliar, Shelly Miscavige is the wife of Scientology leader, David Miscavige, and she has not been seen in public since August 2007.
While she is said to have simply withdrawn from public life, the whereabouts of the woman otherwise known as the First Lady of Scientology have been subject to much speculation.
Attorneys claiming to represent Shelly, now 61, said in 2012 that she had simply opted to live a more private life - a stance reiterated in 2018.
But following the 2012 announcement, ex-Scientologist Leah Remini registered her as a missing person and expressed serious concerns for her welfare in 2013.
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While this did result in an investigation by the LAPD, they claimed that she was located and the case was closed.
The joke aimed at Cruise is particularly notable because he is known to be friends with her husband, David, who she has been married to since 1982.
But despite the case being closed, Remini, who is now a well-known denouncer of the church, insists that they have Shelly's 'blood' on their hands.
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Cruise returned his Golden Globe Awards in 2021 to protest the HFPA's diversity scandal.
He was the recipient of three of the awards, the first of which he won back in 1990 for his portrayal of Vietnam war veteran Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July.
Cruise was not the only person to protest the awards as a result of the sandal, which was unveiled by the Los Angeles Times, and other celebrities including Scarlett Johansson took a stand against the organisation's alleged unethical behaviour and lack of racial diversity.
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Carmichael's comments about Scientology's missing first lady went down a storm on social media.
One Twitter user remarked: "Woooowwww that was INCREDIBLE!!! Where is Shelly?? [sic]"
"So happy he said it on live TV," added a second while a third wrote: "Ricky Gervais would be so proud!!"
"I am so glad he did," remarked a fourth. "It needed to be called out like that."
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UNILAD has reached out to the Golden Globes for further comment.
Topics: US News
Emma Guinness