Tom Cruise is. . . well, Tom Cruise. A heartthrob of the 80s and currently starring in all the Mission Impossible movies, where it's said he performs all his own stunts. Ouch! He's a devout Scientologist, too. This means he follows some pretty outlandish rules (yes, they go way beyond "no meat on Fridays during Lent"). Because of this, he has felt free to impose his own pretty weird rules on his ex-wives. Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman, and Katie Holmes were all married to him. Katie is a Catholic, but had to submit to several of the rules while she and Tom were still married. Mimi introduced Tom to Scientology. Nicole probably gave that famous raised eyebrow and "resting bitch face" look when she heard some of the rules. (You go, Nicole!)

No doubt, some of the rules Tom imposed were pretty different. Tom cheated on his ex-wives, so this was one of the (unstated) rules. The wives also had to be okay with a higher-up in Scientology coming to their house, counseling and intimidating them into following every rule the sect dreamed up. How about staying married to Tom only until each wife turned 33? Yep, that seems to be a thing.

14 Want To Be Tom's Wife? You Must Audition First

Actually, the word on this goes back and forth. Author Lawrence Wright, who wrote Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison Belief, says that Tom actually asked church elders to screen women who might be good choices for his next wife. These would be actual screen tests, as in the same tests actors undergo in auditioning for movie parts.

Lawyers for Scientology deny this has ever happened. (Of course.) After Tom and Nicole's divorce, Tom supposedly had several well-known actresses auditioned as potential wives for him. These women included Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan. Annette Iren Johansen, of Norway, said she had been auditioned as well. She reveals some of the questions she had to answer: questions about her s*x history and whether she'd ever participated in threesomes or even lesbian s*x.

13 Can't Stay Married Past 33 Years Old

All three of Tom's ex-wives were 33 when they separated and either was divorced by or divorced him. While Mimi Rogers is older than he is, when she reached that "magic" age, she received her divorce papers. (She's also six years older than he is, which made him 27 when he decided to divorce her.)

Nicole and Katie were also 33 when they went through their divorces. Of course, we remember that, when Tom was out of the country filming one of his movies, Katie made her move, leaving Tom and their house. She left with their daughter, Suri, moved back home temporarily, then hired her father-lawyer to file the divorce papers.

While it's not known whether Tom's proclivity for cheating led to each divorce, we do know that Tom does. . . like to stray. It could be that, when one wife or more found out about his, err, "tomcatting," they let him know they didn't like it.

12 Not Allowed To Date After Divorce

Once someone has officially divorced their spouse, they should be free to date anyone they please, no? As long as the new love interest is appropriate to be around the children, that is. Tom actually had his attorney insert a clause in the divorce papers that forbade Katie from dating publicly for five years. She could date, but had to keep that on the down-low. Also, she could not bring any of her dates or boyfriends around Suri. Nobody knows how long that rule stays in place. Probably until Suri herself is 33. Let's dissect this. Katie is "allowed" to date. But. . . well, just read the above.

This means Katie couldn't allow her blooming relationship with Jamie Foxx to go public. For five. . . read above. Of course, reading these cockamamie rules, Katie's lawyer dad inserted some strict rules of his own that Tom had to agree to before he and Katie got married.  In addition, Tom had to agree that Suri would not be required to become a Scientologist. Good move, grandpa!

11 Daily Ultrasounds Are A Must

Wait. Repeat that, please? While ultrasounds are generally believed to be safe, that may be in limited quantities so baby's exposure to the ultrasound waves would be kept to a safe limit. Yet, when Katie was pregnant with Suri, Tom bought an ultrasound machine, had it installed at home and he would give Katie ultrasound exams every day. Katie's doctors were, understandably, not very happy about this. But, Tom is Tom. Therefore, he got his own way.

First, Tom has never been an ultrasound tech. He's never taken any classes to learn how to operate an ultrasound machine, use it on Katie or interpret what shows up on the screen. Second, how much exposure to the ultrasound waves is too much? Is that even quantifiable? Third and probably most significantly, this reeks of way too much control over Katie's body, her pregnancy and how it was progressing. That's telling, just on its own.

10 Not Allowed To Scream During Labor

"Ow. . ." "Shhh!" Yes, everyone wants a calm, quiet and supportive environment for the little one as they are born. But what about the poor mom, going through labor? It's painful!

When the world learned about the rule that Tom laid on Katie before she went into labor with Suri, the freakout was pretty much universal. She couldn't even talk! No, "I need some more ice chips." Or, "I need to push!" Why? To prevent traumatizing the infant. Okay. Fine. But what about traumatizing mama?

In fact, nobody's allowed to talk. And Tom was all in on this. Not even the medical staff attending Katie's labor could say anything. Which means they probably relied on sign language. To be fair, L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology developed this rule. Hoo, boy, poor mama! She can't even moan when she feels a particularly painful contraction.

9 Infidelity Must Be Accepted

Mimi found out about Tom's affair with Nicole Kidman when she visited the set of Days of Thunder. That's when another rule became public. But Mimi set that into play. As it turns out, Tom had demanded a specific role for Nicole. Even though at 22, she looked way too young to be a neurosurgeon, she got the role.

Then, after their affair started, Tom's household staff learned of the shenanigans, because Tom brought Nicole there for their nookie. Tom's assistant would tell the staffers that Nicole was in the bedroom with Tom, identifying her hair and arm.

Even worse, David Miscavige, who was the Scientology leader at that time, wanted to. . . play God? He wanted to interfere in the Rogers-Cruise marriage and thought that Tom's affair with Nicole would be the perfect catalyst. This means that the day she learned of her husband's affair, Scientologists "dealt" with her. Nicole: in. Mimi: out.

8 Antidepressants Are Forbidden

Katie Holmes starred in a movie about bipolar disorder. Her character suffered this psychiatric disorder. Not just moods that went from happy to sad and back to happy. Her character suffered the mania and depressive symptoms, requiring psychiatric treatment.

Another celebrity suffered from mental illness (postpartum depression) and she was quite public about it: Brooke Shields. Ah! The lights just went on! Now, think of that Cruise-Lauer interview on the Today Show. Of course, by now, Tom has fully bought into Scientology and its tenets.

Cruise said that Brooke Shields' use of antidepressant medications was wrong and that she should "just take vitamins." He also boasted that he "knew" the history of psychiatry and poo-pooed Lauer's knowledge of psychiatry. (This sounds like a certain Oval Office occupant.) True, Lauer doesn't have an M.D. or Ph.D in psychiatry. But, in his former role as a co-host of Today, he did do his studying.

7 You Will Be Interrogated

The intimidation apparently relied on some time-tested tactics, such as brandishing a set of divorce papers in front of the person being question- er, counseled. In fact, one of the biggest (quite literally) intimidators is Marty Rathbun, who used to be a biggie in Scientology. Just think of Marty as David Miscavige's goon.

He apparently "counseled" couples on behalf of the church, saying that a divorce would only benefit the church. Not only that, but:

The actual counseling sessions lasted for hours upon hours. The questions Marty asked would be accused, such as, "What have you kept from your husband (Tom)?" and, "What have you and Tom done in your marriage?" These questions seem designed to break the one being questioned so they eventually capitulate and confess to something they had never done. Nope, that's not counseling. It's torture.

6 Tom's Career Must Come First

All three of Tom's ex-wives had to be okay with this. Nicole found this out when she and Tom would go out or appear at award shows. Before Days of Thunder, she wasn't well-known. After beginning to date Tom and after they married, it was a well-understood rule that Tom's fame would come before Nicole's. However, there's no doubt that her relationship with him helped to make her more famous.

She expressed this by saying, "I don't deserve to be here. We would go to the Oscars, and I would think, 'I'm here to support him.' I felt it was my job to put on a beautiful dress and be seen and not heard." Wow, coming from a woman with such a strong self-identity, this is telling! In fact, all three of Tom's wives have been women with strong identities. Maybe, when they realized, or were told, that his fame came first, they found that a relationship that required them to quash their own beings wasn't worth it.

5 The Best Man Will Try To Break You Up

Seriously! David Miscavige didn't want Tom to marry Nicole Kidman. He tried to separate the couple and break them up for good. Didn't happen. When David failed in this effort, he enlisted someone else to help him out. He got another Scientology higher-up to work on breaking Tom and Nicole up.

Tom realized what was happening and, in a rage, he ordered David to fire the exec. This is probably about the time that David realized the Tom-Nicole marriage was going to happen, no matter what he did.

Giving in to reality, David agreed to be Tom's best man at the wedding. If that doesn't scream "cult" to you, then nothing will. That's not the worst of it. As it turns out, Tom regards David as being one of his closest friends! They hang out together. Oh, if Tom only knew. . .

4 The Consequences Of Leaving The Church

That is the only way you'll be able to leave the church and have a chance at a semi-sane life post-divorce. After all, the "Rule of 33, Silent Labor and Letting Tom's Star Shine More Brightly" are all pretty crazy rules.

Look at Nicole. She's been portrayed as a psychopath to her kids. Mimi, who grew up in the church, has had to separate herself from it. And Katie made it legally impossible for Tom or the church to get their hands on Suri.

For former Scientologists, the rule of the day is reputation-smearing. The church will do its utmost to smear anyone who leaves. Leah Remini and Marty Rathbun are prime examples. So, given that Tom's three ex-wives were connected to such a big draw in Scientology means that the church, not Tom, has been wronged. In its own point of view, that is.

3 The Kids Will Turn On Mom

It happened to Nicole Kidman. She and Tom adopted their children, Connor and Bella. Once she and Tom divorced, Scientology reared its ugly head. (Remember that Nicole's dad is a SP?) Well, just add this to what the leaders of Scientology told Connor and Isabella after the divorce was finalized: That their own mother was a psychopath and that, to protect themselves, they had to stay far away from her.

Nicole has to be one strong woman. All through this tragedy, she has maintained civility and grace.

Katie probably had a pretty good idea of what would happen with Suri if she didn't act fast to protect her little girl. That's why she had her dad put language in the divorce order that legally prevented Tom from effecting any change to her custody. Of course, now he's the one estranged from his child.

2 Marriage Counseling Is A Thing

Remember, Mimi got Tom into the Church of Scientology. This means that, when their marriage hit a rocky patch, their marriage was "audited." (In short, they were snooped on, high-tech style.) During these "counseling" sessions, a "qualified" person, or someone high up in the Church, would ask the couple questions. These questions centered around their marriage.

Maybe one of these marriages would have "stuck" if the questions and counseling had, oh, maybe, centered on Tom's philandering. Better yet, if the Church had directed Mimi and Tom to visit a licensed marriage and family counselor outside the church, their marriage would have lasted.

But. . . the highest levels of leadership within Scientology were entranced by Tom Cruise's rising star. They felt he could become a force within the membership. Therefore, David Miscavige personally supervised the auditing the couple went through. Ick.

1 Getting Embarrassed Is A Must

Who doesn't remember a love-crazed (quite literally) Tom running around the Oprah set, then jumping on her couch, shouting out his love for Katie? Poor woman! It's hard to astound Oprah, but Tom did it.

Looking at Tom's past body of acting work, it's easy to see where he drew the "crazy" from: Jerry Maguire, Tropic Thunder and finally, Day and Night. Maybe that should have been a warning to Katie. But, being in the first flush of new love, she's excused for missing those glaring clues. Of course, Tom may have inadvertently let a few of those hints fall throughout their relationship. Or Scientology has made him into someone that he's not? Hmmm. . .

Whatever happened, Katie had to be mortified when she saw her boyfriend go absolutely ga-ga in front of millions of viewers. Jumping on a couch likely surprised more than a few million people.

Sources: therichest.com, mirror.com, eonline.com, wittyfeed.me.com, radaronline.com,  hollywoodlife.com, pinterest.com, Daily Mail, abcnews.go.com, Famous People, The Age, Today Show, ign.com, TMZ.com