Jerrod Carmichael mocks Tom Cruise on Scientology: Let's trade your returned Golden Globes for Shelly Miscavige

From the moment he took the stage to welcome the 80th Golden Globe Awards, Jerrod Carmichael never shied away from making his audience feel uncomfortable. His opening monologue has annoyed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association over its diversity struggles that led to the cancellation of the 2021 awards show, and he's been candid about his initial hesitation to accept the job as host.

"I won't say they were a racist organization, but they didn't have a single black member until George Floyd died," he said. "Do what you want with it."

But his sharpest search of the night was on someone who wasn't even in the room: Tom Cruise.

While 'Top Gun: Maverick' was nominated for two Golden Globes, including Best Picture Drama, Cruise was unsurprisingly absent from the ceremony. The actor is famous for returning three of his Golden Globes (which he won for his performances in 'Born on the Fourth of July,' 'Jerry Maguire,' and 'Magnolia') when racial controversy engulfed the HFPA in 2021. But in a gag during the Golden Globes broadcast Tuesday night, Carmichael suggested that perhaps Cruise, a devout member of the Church of Scientology, isn't a paragon of morality who should judge any organization for its conduct.

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Appearing on stage with three Golden Globe Awards in his arms, Carmichael joked that he had found the three trophies that Cruise had returned.

"Hi guys. Backstage I found these three Golden Globes that Tom Cruise gave back," he said. "Look, I'm just the host briefly or whatever Fine, but I have a pitch. I think maybe we'll take those three things and trade them for the safe return of Shelly Miscavige."

Shelly Miscavige, the wife of Scientology leader and Cruise confidant David Miscavige, has not been seen in public since 2007. Her fate has been the subject of speculation for years, with the LAPD investigating on a missing person in 2013. Former prominent Scientologists, including Leah Remini, have alleged that the investigation was corrupted by the Church of Scientology and that Shelly Miscavige may still be in danger.

In the years since his disappearance, Cruise and David Miscavige have become increasingly close, with Miscavige famously witnessing Cruise at his wedding to Katie Holmes

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