‘Digger’ Star Tom Cruise Revives His Legendary ‘Risky Business’ Dance Moves, and the Internet Can’t Get Enough
Few movie moments are as instantly recognizable as a young Tom Cruise sliding across a hardwood floor in socks, a button-down shirt, and sunglasses. The scene from 1983’s ‘Risky Business’, set to Bob Seger’s ‘Old Time Rock & Roll’, helped launch Cruise into stardom. Now, more than 4 decades later, Tom Cruise’s ‘Risky Business’ dance is having a viral comeback.
The occasion was a stop on his press tour for ‘Digger’, the Alejandro González Iñárritu satire that opens in theaters this weekend. As part of that campaign, the 64-year-old made his first-ever appearance on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’, which is now in its 5th season.
The talk show has turned its Spirit Tunnel into one of daytime TV’s most talked-about rituals, with guests walking through a hallway of cheering staffers before heading to the stage. For Cruise’s visit on Tuesday, September 29, the tunnel drew a record turnout, according to TheWrap.
The staff clearly came prepared. Lined up in the hallway at Warner Bros. Studio 1 and wearing black sunglasses, they sang a reworked version of ‘Old Time Rock & Roll’ with lyrics celebrating Cruise’s arrival.
Cruise fully committed to the bit. Dressed in an all-black outfit, he slipped on a pair of black Ray-Ban sunglasses and broke out some of the same choreography from the original film, even pulling a few staffers in to dance alongside him.
Tom Cruise doing the Spirit Tunnel at The Jennifer Hudson Show. pic.twitter.com/Nj9373Zk6Z
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 30, 2026
During the episode, Cruise reflected on just how much fun the moment was, joking that the crew practically had to pull him out of the tunnel because he wanted to keep dancing with more people. He added that anyone who can’t enjoy the Spirit Tunnel simply isn’t alive.
He also looked back on filming the original ‘Risky Business’ scene. Cruise shared that he still remembers every frame of shooting it, recalling how director Paul Brickman gave him the opening frame and how he instantly knew where to take it.
Tom Cruise on The Jennifer Hudson Show! pic.twitter.com/gnEzbndJ6G
— tcarchiverandom (@tcarchive0220) September 30, 2026
The appearance didn’t stop there. Cruise also recreated a viral dance clip with Debbie Allen during his visit. The show teased the clip online by declaring that the internet wasn’t ready, and the reaction proved it right.
Fans praised the talk show for landing such a high-profile guest, with one commenter calling it a big deal that elevated the series to a whole new level. The moment quickly spread around the world. Others marveled at the packed hallway, noting they had never seen so many people crammed into the tunnel.
A new trailer for ‘DIGGER’ has been released.
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 9, 2026
In theaters October 2. pic.twitter.com/kTEeFZI14E
The viral moment arrives at an interesting time for Cruise. ‘Digger’ has been tracking for a soft opening weekend, with Warner Bros. projecting $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 theaters, while Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’ is expected to win the weekend.
Still, the Spirit Tunnel clip shows that Cruise’s charisma remains as magnetic as ever. Whatever happens at the box office, his commitment to the bit has already given fans one of the most delightful celebrity moments of the week. The appearance also produced other headlines, including a brief tease about ‘Top Gun 3’. Between nostalgia and new projects, Cruise is clearly having fun on this press tour.
What do you think of Tom Cruise bringing back his iconic Risky Business dance?
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