Connor Cruise, the rarely-seen son of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, has sparked online debate after sharing one of his hobbies on Instagram. The 30-year-old, who was adopted along with his sister Bella during Kidman and Cruise’s marriage, previously tried acting and music but now spends much of his time sport fishing, a passion he says began during his childhood travels with his parents.
Recently, Connor posted a video showing a massive 301-pound Warsaw Grouper he and his friends caught on a fishing trip. He proudly captioned it, “Got it done yesterday with the boys. 301# Warsaw on the hand crank.” In a follow-up post, he explained that the fish was donated to a nonprofit called Fillet for Friends, which supplies food banks with fresh fish.
Despite this, the post drew backlash. Some critics called the catch a “horrible sight” and accused him of killing a fish that could have lived much longer. Others, however, defended him, dismissing the outrage as overblown and pointing out that fishing is a natural act that predators in the wild also do.
The controversy is compounded by the fact that the Warsaw Grouper is listed as endangered in the U.S. Still, Florida regulations allow recreational anglers to catch them under specific conditions, with no size limit and a cap of one per vessel. While Connor’s hobby is legal, his post reignited debate over sport fishing and the ethical questions surrounding endangered species.