‘Digger’ Star Tom Cruise (64) Recreates Iconic ‘Risky Business’ Moment on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’
The Spirit Tunnel has become the most talked-about ritual in daytime TV. On ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’, staffers line a hallway at Warner Bros.’ Studio 1 and sing a customized song to welcome each celebrity guest to the stage. It has grown into a viral sensation and even a barometer of a celebrity’s cultural standing, so a Tom Cruise Spirit Tunnel moment was always going to be an event.
The tradition began in the show’s early days, when the staff did it to hype up Hudson before each taping. She later decided her guests deserved the same welcome, and it has been a signature bit ever since.
The show is now in its 5th season, and Cruise’s visit is his first-ever appearance on it. The clip that took over social media shows how he chose to play it.
Tom Cruise doing the Spirit Tunnel at The Jennifer Hudson Show. pic.twitter.com/Nj9373Zk6Z
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 30, 2026
Cruise pulled out his ‘Risky Business’ dance moves and a pair of black Ray-Ban sunglasses for the walk down the tunnel. In the video, the hallway is packed on both sides with staffers, with Cruise at the far end wearing dark shades and an all-black outfit.
The crew wore black sunglasses of their own and sang a modified version of ‘Old Time Rock & Roll’ in his honor. The nod is to the 1983 film, in which a 20-year-old Cruise slides across the floor in a shirt and underwear while lip-syncing to Bob Seger’s song.
Cruise committed to the bit, even pulling some staffers in to dance with him. The show reported that the tunnel drew a record number of participants.
The appearance started with a chance encounter. According to Variety, Hudson revealed in her Power of Women cover story that she booked Cruise at the World Cup final this summer, and she asked him to imagine what the crew would sing for his tunnel.
It turned out Cruise already knew exactly what he was signing up for. He told Hudson he watches the show, and she has said he agreed so quickly it made her head spin.
Fans immediately zeroed in on the size of the crowd. One commenter under the show’s Instagram post said the hallway had not been that full since Michelle Obama visited, while another joked that nobody missed work that day.
Several viewers also treated the booking as a milestone for the show. One said Cruise appearing on it was a big deal that elevates the whole series. The show teased the clip by saying the internet was not ready for Cruise.
The tunnel walk is the latest stop on Cruise’s press tour for ‘Digger’, directed by 2-time Academy Award winner Alejandro González Iñárritu. Cruise attended the Los Angeles premiere on September 28, and the film arrives in theaters this Friday.
He plays Texas oil tycoon Digger Rockwell, whose company faces allegations regarding an ecological disaster and a potential nuclear conflict. The role required a physical transformation with prosthetics, a fat suit, thinning white hair and a Southern accent.
The full interview airs Wednesday, so fans will not have to wait long to see what Cruise and Hudson discuss. New episodes of the show air weekdays on local syndication networks.
Given how big the buzz has been, Cruise’s stop may go down as one of the tunnel’s most memorable entries. It also shows how much an actor with ‘Digger’ to promote is willing to lean into a good bit.
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