Katie Holmes Rented Secret Apartment Before Divorcing Tom Cruise
It looks like Katie Holmes was planning her escape from Tom Cruise in advance.
Us Weekly reports that Holmes secretly rented property in New York, shortly before she filed for divorce from her husband of five years.
TMZ offers a different version of events, reporting that Cruise deeded his New York property to Holmes. Either way, Holmes appears using the location to her advantage, both because New York courts are more likely to grant her sole custody of their daughter Suri, and because Cruise has purposely been avoiding New York's high taxes.
While "Free Katie" fans have long joked — perhaps semi-seriously — that Holmes was being held captive by Cruise, there's an undeniable element of fleeing the scene here. Holmes filed for divorce while Cruise was in Iceland filming Oblivion. Cruise's rep said his client was "deeply saddened" by his wife's decision.
Reasons for the divorce are purely speculative, though many have pointed a finger at Scientology. TMZ's sources reaffirm this analysis, suggesting that Holmes was specifically trying to keep Suri out of the church. That would also explain her claim for sole custody, as Cruise would not be able to dictate his daughter's religious upbringing.