Chet Hanks seems to be a Tom Cruise’s fan.
Tom Hank’s son made sure his first-ever talk show appearance was one to remember—by channeling one of the most unforgettable moments in daytime TV history.
The actor, who plays Travis Bugg in Running Point, stopped by The Drew Barrymore Show on Tuesday, March 18, and paid tribute to Tom Cruise’s iconic couch-jumping moment from The Oprah Winfrey Show.
“This is my first time on a talk show ever,” Hanks, 34, told a visibly surprised Drew Barrymore. But he wasn’t just there for a casual chat—he had a plan. “There’s something that I’ve always wanted to do,” he teased before asking for permission to go for it.
Making sure the audience was on board, Hanks hyped them up, “It’s only gonna work if you guys cheer really loud. You gotta scream, you gotta lose your minds, or else I’m gonna look stupid.”
The crowd, of course, delivered.
With a three-second countdown, Hanks leaped onto the couch with his hands in the air, perfectly mirroring Cruise’s viral 2005 moment when he famously jumped for joy while professing his love for Katie Holmes.
Barrymore burst into laughter as Hanks committed to the bit, even getting down on one knee and shaking his fist in triumph—just like Cruise did nearly 20 years ago.
“Okay, that was good,” Hanks declared as he sat back down, looking pleased with his performance. Then, just to be sure his homage landed, he turned to the audience and asked, “Do you guys get the reference?”
Barrymore didn’t miss a beat.
“Oh my God, Tom Cruise? Yes, of course!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I love it!”
Hanks’ energetic reenactment comes just ahead of the 20th anniversary of Cruise’s legendary talk show moment—proving that some pop culture moments are simply too good to forget.
