TV hosts cut Tom Cruise some slack for his COVID-19 rant: ‘Angry for the right reason’

Hell hath no fury like a Tom Cruise in danger of seeing his seventh “Mission: Impossible” movie shut down.

And TV hosts — like just about everyone else who’s heard The Recording — are split on whether the actor and producer was justified in unleashing an expletive-ridden rant on crew members who supposedly violated COVID-19 protocols during production.

“Some people are saying that this is a bad look for Tom Cruise, but I disagree,” “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah said Wednesday. “Because yeah he’s mad, but it’s for a good cause. It’s like getting recorded screaming, ‘You guys are in big trouble if we don’t get these toys to the Children’s Hospital! I want to see happy kids, or you’ll never work in this town again!’ You’re angry for the right reason.”

“But for real,” he added. “If anything, this should teach people just how serious this corona [stuff] is. Because remember, Tom Cruise is not scared of anything. This dude hangs off the side of a plane like it was any other Tuesday. He’s even brave enough to put his dirty shoes on a Black woman’s couch. So the fact that even he’s worried about COVID is a reminder that no one is immune from this virus.”

Noah was far from the only small-screen emcee who approved of Cruise’s health-conscious tirade. Most of Noah’s daytime counterparts on “The View” also backed the Oscar nominee and could relate to his frustration as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise.

“Some people don’t understand why he would get so angry,” said Whoopi Goldberg. “I get it. That’s his movie, and if he goes down with COVID, the movie is done .... You can keep going ... but you can’t get another Tom Cruise. It’s him. And if he’s looking over, and he can see you not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, it’s kind of like a little bit of a middle finger, in my opinion.”

“What amazes me is that people are not in more of a rage,” added Joy Behar. “If you lost somebody to this disease who is really prematurely dead, you would be in a rage, I think. ... Of course, we’re all in a rage. We should be even in more of a rage than we actually are. ... I believe that Tom Cruise [was] completely justified in doing that. I’m on his side.”

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Fellow “View” panelists Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro — whose families have both been personally affected by the virus — sided with Cruise as well, arguing that his extreme reaction was warranted, considering the stakes and state of the entertainment industry.

“When I first listened to this tape, I thought, ‘That is abusive. That is HR department-worthy,’” Hostin said. “And then I started thinking about ... the people that have lost loved ones because of this pandemic and how serious it is ... the notion that people would be so cavalier right now, amidst a pandemic ... probably warrants his rage, his anger, his disappointment — not necessarily the expletives, the curses. But I think he gets a pass for this ... because this is a life-and-death situation, and I cannot believe people are not taking this more seriously.”

“This is Tom Cruise’s franchise. It’s on his back,” added Navarro. “And production companies, TV shows ... they are going through incredible measures and hoops in order to keep people safe. And the problem with COVID ... is that it doesn’t stay with one person. It spreads like ... a damn plague, because it is a plague. And so if one person is reckless, and one person gets sick, the possibility that these bubbles that the production companies are working in — that it explodes within that — it’s very large.”

Entertainment & Arts

Column: Admit it, it felt good to hear Tom Cruise get angry about COVID-19 safety

Tom Cruise’s rant at crew members who violated COVID-19 safety measures on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7” was profane and a little over the top. But he said what many of us are thinking. All the time.

Dec. 16, 2020

The only “View” host who wasn’t on board with Cruise’s behavior was Sara Haines, who conceded the “Top Gun” star “made some great points” but disapproved of how he expressed them.

“I agree with the sentiment of the message,” she said, before adding, “He definitely went over the top. And a good therapist once told me, ‘When your reaction is out of proportion to the circumstances you’re dealing with, it should be a red flag.’

“I saw 20 red flags in his delivery, because only a Tom Cruise on a set could get away with that. You should never speak to grown adults the way he just did. ... I don’t care if you’re a coach, if you’re a director in a control room. I’m not referencing our director, but directors are known for this. They throw their headsets, and nobody should ever endorse that kind of behavior.”

Several on social media shared Haines’ opinion of the outburst, which went viral earlier this week after British tabloid the Sun released audio of Cruise lashing out at crew members who apparently failed to keep a safe distance while gathering around a computer on the London set of the latest “Mission: Impossible” film.

“I am beyond your apologies,” Cruise barks in the clip. “We are not shutting this f— movie down. Is it understood? If I see it again, you’re f— gone.”

On Thursday, the Sun reported Cruise raged at his employees again after his initial lecture was leaked — and that five crew members have since exited the project — in an update that has yet to be confirmed. During a radio interview Wednesday, George Clooney weighed in on the situation, landing somewhere between Cruise’s critics and supporters.

“I wouldn’t have done it that big,” he told Howard Stern. “If the production goes down, a lot of people lose their jobs. People have to understand that and have to be responsible. It’s just not my style to, you know, to take everybody to task that way.”