Cruise is a Category Five Nitwit. But, as you said, that doesn't mean he loses his right to speak. Lauer is a hypocritical jackass for suggesting Cruise should shut it. Does he really expect to do thousands of hours of live tv without someone acting like a jerk? Too f'n bad for him. So it made him feel uncomfortable? Get over it and act like a big boy. I'm sure Brooke spent less time worrying about the comments than Lauer. I thoroughly disagree with Cruise (though some meds are way overprescribed) and think the burden is on him. Once again, can people (specifically celebrities) understand that having a right to say something doesn't inoculate you from being an ass for saying it.
And in case that can't wrap their little brains around that, being an ass is still a bad thing.

I saw the video, and I didn't hear Lauer say anything like what this writer is saying he said. I just checked the transcript and nowhere does it say anything even close to "he should keep his opinions to himself".

The transcript does paraphrase the initial question for some reason but has the rest of the dialogue. I don't think this is a cover-up but if somebody else remembers otherwise, speak up.

transcript

A writer for The Washington Post joined in, asking: "Should we address him as Dr. Tom Cruise from now on? Or will the Rev. Dr. Cruise suffice?" And how's this for a headline from one online newspaper: "Tom Cruise 'Today Show' Scientology Rant Hurts Image."

Sounds like this pernicious little ferret is on anti-depressans and needs his script bumped up.

It was a fair debate. Lauer challenged him. They went back and forth on it for half the interview. He even says things like "It's very impressive to listen to you. Because clearly, you've done the homework. And you know the subject." And, near the end, "I respect your opinion." These might just be nicetys, but it sort of goes against the premise that he was trying to shut down Cruise from expressing his opinion.

What's the problem here? You're right, Lauer only challenges opinions he disagrees with, but that doesn't mean he was wrong to do it here. We should encourage him to do it with the other celebrity nitwits.

Ace,

It is axiomatic that when people call for others to "keep their opinions to themselves" it is because they disagree with those opinions.

It would be strange, but not surprising, for a purported daily morning news host, to suggest that the guests that they pay or otherwise invite on his show to shut the hell up.

If one follows the logic or intent of such a claim to its origins, as you did Ace, it invariably leads to the fact that Mr. Lauer did not approve of what Mr. Cruise had to say.

And yes, Tom Cruise is an adult, he is as free and entitled as anyone else to hold unpopular or even bizarre ideas.

Celebrities, is there anything they don't know

Ace,

One more thing.

Mr. Lauer was, of course, talking with Tom Cruise.

TOM CRUISE.

Got that?

He wasn't talking to, say, a pscyhotherapist, or an expert on psychoneuropharmacology, or researcher from the NIH, or the president of an advocacy group of people with depression, etc.

Nope.

It was Tom Cruise.

Who by the way, seemed to Mr. Lauer, was someone who had done his homework.

Whatever the hell that meant.

Its cool Ace. My impression here is the columnist was trying to score some quick points against Lauer - points which had merit - but jumped the gun with a bad example.

MeTooThen - The "done his homework" line was crap, but what do you expect? He's not going to be completely antagonistic with such a high-profile guest who I'm sure they'd like to have on again.

Cruise threw it back in his face though with, "And you should. And you should do that also. Because just knowing people who are on Ritalin isn't enough. You should be a little bit more responsible in knowing really —" which was kind of funny coming from Dr. Cruise. He also talks about reading medical studies and journals and the like. I'm guessing these were written by the highly esteemed Dr. Hubbard.

Important clarification: I still don't like Matt Lauer.

Ace, Hollywood does like to do movies about Squirrel Farmers. Richard Gere in Final Analysis, Barbara Striesand in Price of Tides, Michael Douglas in Don't Say a Word, Billy Crystal in Analyse This 1 & 2, Jack Nicholson in Anger Management, Richard Dreyfuss in Nuts and What About Bob?, Hallee Berry in Gothica, J-Lo in The Cell, and Michael Caine in Dressed to Kill just to name some from memory.

Shut up and eat your lutefisk (not that there's anything wrong with that).

The public doesn't see celebrities as experts. Celebrities don't even see themselves as experts (Tom Cruise excepted). But, if you are a celebrity and have an opinion the media will broadcast it even if nobody is interested in hearing it. Why not take advantage of that situation? Who doesn't want their opinions heard anyway?

But, if you are a celebrity and have an opinion the media will broadcast it even if nobody is interested in hearing it.

That's what I find annoying about this. I really wish the media would stick to asking relevant questions. Matt Lauer wouldn't ask a psychiatrist about "War of the World"; so what is he doing asking Tom Cruise about psychiatry? It's like asking Paris Hilton for her opinion of plate tectonics.

One more thing. All the criticism of Tom Cruise seems a little malicious. I don't say his opinions shouldn't be criticized -- the only way to fight bad ideas is to point to them where you find them. But the "Tom has lost his mind" meme seems to have gotten slightly out of control. It's easy to debunk Tom's "ideas" without resorting to gratuitous ad hominems.

Yeah, but what's really important here is that I'm a straight chick and Tom Cruise does nothing for me. Sure, he was kinda cute in Risky Business, but he's just too boyish. And now he's creepy.

If only Cruise had been voicing his own opinion.

Or, if only his "homework" had consisted of reading something other than the High Holy Scriptures of El Ron, may we be spared from further exposure to his wisdom, amen.

The whole "psychiatry = pseudo science" is one of the tenets of Scientology.

I'm not an expert either. So I can't really say that he's wrong. But given Cruise's affiliation with the cult, this whole thing comes across as a case of Scientology speaking through a willing mouthpiece.

And who would be whispering in Tom's ear to make him say alla that stupid crap? Would it be, oh, I dunno... Thatan?!?