In a surprising revelation, veteran publicist Tim Menke shared that he was fired from his position at Paramount Pictures in 2005 after booking Tom Cruise for his infamous couch-jumping appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Menke, who was honored with the Henri Bollinger Award at the ICG Publicists Awards on Friday, explained that his decision to have Cruise appear on the show “didn’t go very well” and ultimately led to his dismissal after 12 years with the studio.
Cruise’s appearance on Oprah in 2005 became a defining moment in pop culture, with his exuberant display of affection for then-girlfriend Katie Holmes. The actor famously jumped on the couch, expressing his love for Holmes in a way that shocked both Winfrey and audiences. Menke, who was working as a senior publicist for Paramount at the time, was responsible for the booking, but the viral incident backfired, tarnishing the publicity campaign for Cruise’s film War of the Worlds.
“I was kicked to the curb in large part because, well, long story short of a couch on The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Menke said during his acceptance speech, prompting laughter from the audience.
While Menke’s career took a hit, he was able to bounce back by securing a position in the publicity department at 20th Century Fox. He later returned to Paramount, where he now works under studio head Liz West.
Oprah Winfrey, who was present during the interview, later reflected on the incident in a 2012 interview, expressing surprise at how the moment became such a cultural phenomenon. She described it as an “expression of delightful exuberance,” but acknowledged the negative reactions that followed.
As the couch-jumping moment turns 20 years old, it remains a defining moment in celebrity culture, one that changed the course of Tom Cruise’s career—and one that, for Menke, led to an unexpected career twist.