Tom Cruise Explains Oprah Couch-Jumping Incident
May 25 2010, Published 3:32 p.m. ET
Five years after he shocked the nation with is over-exuberant appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Tom Cruise explained why he jumped on her couch and described his disbelief about the fallout.
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"What happened, happened... I wanted the audience to be happy just like I wanted to make my sisters and my mother happy when I did those skits as a kid. But I'll take responsibility for my actions," he told Esquire Magazine.
"Afterward, wild things were being said about me, and once they're in the ether, there's nothing you can do about it. It felt like being the new kid in the schoolyard again and the other kids are whispering and whispering about you and suddenly you hear what they're saying, and you think, What? That didn't happen. Look at the reality of the situation."
He also debunked that the public speculation about his personal life and mental stability were the reasons he parted ways with Paramount Studios.
"There was a confluence of events. My deal with Paramount was up and it wasn't extended. At first it was, Huh? I don't get it. But people have misconceptions about that whole thing, too. Sumner Redstone and I are friends. It's a business."