Tim Allen’s Heckle leads to tense clashes with Tom Cruise

Tim Allen opens with an unforgettable and uncomfortable interaction with Tom Cruise which took place after the screening of “Mission: Impossible – Judgment Day”, revealing how a shouted comment during the film led to a face-to-face confrontation and joke-filled reflection involving Scientology. Speaking to the crowd at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles on Thursday night as part of his ongoing 2026 stand-up tour, the 72-year-old comedian explained how his habit of reacting loudly during films got him into trouble during the high-profile premiere.

“You know, this celebrity bullshit, I say hello to these people like I know them. When I go there, I want the loot. I want the ‘Mission: Impossible’ hat,” Allen joked, according to a Daily Mail journalist who attended the show.

About 30 minutes into the film, Allen said he couldn’t help himself during a particularly over-the-top action sequence. “A BMW 7 Series comes out of a parking lot, lands nose first, turns around. Cruise gets out and does this…” Allen recalls, imitating Cruise coming out of the accident perfectly calm. “That would have killed Batman, so I said ‘bullshit’!” he told the crowd.

According to Allen, the reaction was immediate. “The whole theater” went silent, he said, with spectators turning to him. One person even shouted, “Yeah, that’s pretty funny, Mr. [Buzz] The light year? referencing Allen’s iconic Pixar character. “I’m trying to apologize. “Yeah, I’m just messing around,” Allen added, while noting, “Cruise’s ears are bright red.”

Allen said the moment didn’t end there. After the screening ended, Cruise reportedly walked towards him down the aisle. “He’s walking down the aisle, looking at me. I’m scared to death, even though this guy is literally this tall,” Allen joked, pointing to Cruise, who is 5’9″ tall. “My grandfather always told me to eat crow while it’s fresh, so I apologized. I said, ‘hi, bye.’

Despite the tension, Allen described Cruise as pleasant, although he couldn’t help but add a supernatural touch. “And this guy was a nice guy, you know. I think he hexed me, though, because he’s a Scientologist. His eyes got really red and something struck me.”

Cruise has long been one of the most prominent public figures associated with Scientology and was previously a vocal supporter of the Church of Scientology. Allen, meanwhile, told the audience that he considers himself a “religious man,” explaining that he was “forced to” follow religion as a child and still went to church “every Sunday” with his family. He is married to Jane Hajduk and has two daughters, Elizabeth Allen-Dick, 16, and Katherine, 36, whom he shares with his ex-wife Laura Deibel.

Cruise wasn’t the only Hollywood heavyweight Allen had ribbed during his hour-long set. While discussing Tom HanksAllen recalled losing the role of Detective Scott Turner in 1989’s “Turner & Hooch.” After learning Hanks had landed the role, Allen joked that he told the “Disney guys” that Hanks was a “talentless bastard,” before adding, “He doesn’t have any p-nis.”

Allen also aimed Ryan Reynoldspoking fun at superhero costumes and his own experience playing Captain Zoom/Jack in 2006’s “Zoom.” “Every time I see ‘Deadpool’…Ryan Reynolds isn’t even in that costume right now. He’s back getting his nails done in his trailer,” Allen joked, suggesting that the stunt doubles do a lot of the work.

Despite his disdain for costumes, Allen said none were worse than his “Santa Claus” outfit. The actor revealed the big costume weighed “58 pounds” and required six hours in the makeup chair. He played Santa many timesincluding “The Santa Clause,” “The Santa Clause 2,” “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” and Disney+’s “The Santas.”

Allen also admitted that when the cameras weren’t rolling at first, he smoked cigarettes, behavior that didn’t sit well with Disney executives. “People from Disney came to me, they’re scary… they said, can you please stop saying ‘damn’ when you’re in a Santa suit?” he remembers.

He added that he didn’t realize that the 125 children on set were not actors, but real children, many of whom thought he was the real Santa Claus. Allen found this detail particularly ironic, since he told the audience that he “hates children.”