Brooke Shields says Tom Cruise apologized for postpartum depression rant, attacked her ‘because he could’
Nearly 20 years after Tom Cruise was criticized for his “irresponsible” approach to treating postpartum depression, Brooke Shields is opening up about the apology she “finally” received from the Golden Globe winner.
The Golden Globe nominee details Cruise’s 2005 interview with former “Today” show host Matt Lauer in her new memoir, “Brooke Shields Wasn’t Allowed to Age: Reflections on Female Aging.” Apology after explosive interview, says ‘Guns’ actor attacked her ‘because he could’
In the interview, Cruise claimed that Shields’ prescription for postpartum depression “didn’t cure anything.”
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Brooke Shields says Tom Cruise has “finally” apologized for his comments about her treatment for postpartum depression. (Getty Images)
“There’s no such thing as a chemical imbalance. My opinion with Brook is that there was misinformation,” Cruise told Lauer at the time. “She doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry.”
In response, Shields wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, saying Cruise’s comments were “hurtful to mothers everywhere.”
“I can’t stand this sound [daughter] Rowan cried and I was scared that my husband would take her to me,” Shields wrote at the time. “I wanted her to disappear. I wanted to disappear. At my lowest moments, I thought about swallowing a bottle of pills or jumping out of my apartment window.
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“When my doctor told me I had postpartum depression and prescribed me the antidepressant Paroxetine, I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t excited about taking the medication. In fact, I stopped prematurely Taking medication and having an adverse reaction.
“Eventually, Tom Cruise apologized to me … and said he was sorry and that he felt he was cornered by Matt Lauer and that he attacked me basically because he could.”
After Cruise’s explosive interview in 2005, Shields wrote an op-ed for The New York Times. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Shields said Cruise’s comments clearly showed a “lack of understanding” about postpartum depression.
“Comments like this from Tom Cruise are hurtful to mothers everywhere,” she added. “To say that I take medication to treat depression is wrong when I should be taking vitamins and exercising shows a complete lack of understanding of postpartum depression and childbirth in general. If Mr. Cruise’s ridiculousness has any good to offer Words roar, let’s hope it gives a serious disease much-needed attention.
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Shields admits in her book that if the comments had been made before she became a mother, she “would have remained silent.”
“I will ignore his ridiculous rant,” she wrote in Entertainment Weekly. “I would have been content to stand by while this very famous man hijacked my experience to advance his own (deceitful) agenda. I would have been content to have his actions speak for themselves.”
Brooke Shields said she spoke out against Cruise’s comments for herself and other women facing criticism. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
But Shields insisted on fighting back for herself and “the women who have suffered at the hands of an uneducated actor who made irrational and dangerous comments that were beyond his depth.”
“Finally, Tom Cruise apologized to me,” she wrote. “Without disclosing it, which would have been the right thing to do, he came to my house and said he was sorry, that he felt cornered by Matt Lauer, and he attacked me basically because he could. It’s not the worst thing in the world matter.
Representatives for Cruise did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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