Reese Witherspoon's 3 Kids: All About the Actress’ Daughter and Sons
- - Reese Witherspoon's 3 Kids: All About the Actress’ Daughter and Sons
Jamie Ballard, Nicole PomaricoDecember 23, 2025 at 5:30 AM
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Ian West/PA Images via Getty ; Reese Witherspoon/Instagram
Reese Witherspoon attends Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year 2025 awards on November 6, 2025 in London, England ; Reese Witherspoon's kids -
Reese Witherspoon is a mom of three kids
She and ex-husband Ryan Phillippe welcomed daughter Ava and son Deacon
Witherspoon shares son Tennessee with ex-husband Jim Toth
Reese Witherspoon is best known for her impressive career spanning across TV, movies, and more, but her favorite role is being a mom to her three kids.
Witherspoon shares daughter Ava Phillippe and son Deacon Phillippe with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, as well as son Tennessee James Toth with her ex Jim Toth.
While balancing motherhood with the demands of her multifaceted career hasn't always been easy, Witherspoon says the sacrifices are "truly worth it."
"There's a lot of compromise ... You feel like that's what makes me wake up on a Sunday, it's not movies or my job, it's my kids," the actress said on The Drew Barrymore Show. "Being a mom is really great, it's a big part of my life. I would say it's the biggest part of my life."
Witherspoon also spoke about parenting during an interview with Gayle King for InStyle, where she explained that her kids are her "first, most important priority." She said, "If I told you how much space in my brain they take up every day — do you even think they know, Gayle? I don't even think they know."
In December 2025, Witherspoon shared photos from her holiday celebrations with her kids on Instagram, including a rare photo with her youngest child, Tennessee.
Here's everything to know about Witherspoon's three children.
Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, 26
Witherspoon and Phillippe's older child, Ava Elizabeth Philippe, was born on Sep. 9, 1999, in L.A.
Witherspoon was 23 years old when she had Ava, and the actress spoke about being a young mom during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
"To be completely candid, I was terrified," Witherspoon told host Drew Barrymore. "I got pregnant when I was 22 years old, and I didn't know how to balance work and motherhood, you just do it ... I was just like every other mom and dad trying to figure it out."
While talking to PEOPLE in April 2024, Witherspoon looked back on bringing a baby Ava to the Friends set with her when she guest starred on the show in 2000 — and the way Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox reacted to finding out that Ava was there.
"Jen was just the sweetest to me. I'd just had a baby, and I remember her and Courteney running to my dressing room going, 'Can we see the baby?' " she said. "I got to put her on the couch in Central Perk, and still have a little picture of her at Central Perk."
Ava is now 26 herself, and she looks just like her mother — so much so that both Witherspoon and Ava have joked about it in interviews.
"I'm so proud of her. She really rolls with it. I'm sure it's not easy looking exactly like your mother," Witherspoon said in an interview with InStyle.
The mother-daughter duo also share a similar sense of style and a passion for beauty. While speaking to PEOPLE at Coachella in 2022, Ava quipped about their tendency to dress alike, even when they are apart. "When we're separated, we're like, 'What are you wearing? Oh! That's weirdly similar,' " she explained.
She added that her love of makeup was partly inspired by her mom. "My first memories of makeup are of [watching] my grandmother and the way she does her lipstick and her blush and her eyeliner. And the way my mom would get glammed up for events," she said.
While her mom inspires her in many ways, Ava is carving out her own path. In addition to graduating from UC Berkeley, she's pursuing a career in modeling and has landed campaigns with brands like Pat McGrath, Beyonce's Ivy Park and her mother's line, Draper James.
Deacon Reese Phillippe, 22
Deacon Phillippe Instagram Deacon Phillippe
Witherspoon and Phillippe welcomed Deacon Reese Phillippe on Oct. 23, 2003, in L.A.
Deacon is following in his parents' footsteps and pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. In 2020, he took the first steps in his career as a music producer with the release of his hit single "Long Run."
Witherspoon celebrated the accomplishment by posting a video of herself dancing to the song on Instagram. "When your kid has his first single ... you gotta dance!" the caption read.
He opened up about his passion for producing to Interview magazine and shared that his dad, who also makes music, helped him get into it.
"When I was listening to the radio in the car with my dad, something just clicked. I realized there's more to making music than just being a vocalist, and that a lot of times it's the production that makes me feel something," he explained. "I asked my dad about how it works, and he taught me all the stuff he knew, and then I started watching YouTube videos."
Deacon has also tried his hand at acting, making his debut in the third season of Netflix's teen show Never Have I Ever.
In the Interview magazine discussion, Witherspoon opened up about what it's been like to watch both Ava and Deacon grow up.
Deacon Phillippe Instagram Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe with their son Deacon Phillippe
"I never expected the kind of relationship that I have with them, but it's so rewarding to be able to have kids that you can process life with a little bit, and they help me understand the complexities of what it means to be a human now," she said. "So I'm really, really grateful that these little humans are in my life. Adult humans. I have two adult children now."
Many have commented on the fact that Deacon and Ava are spitting images of their parents, but it doesn't come as a surprise to Phillippe.
"What I get a lot lately is they think Deacon looks like [Witherspoon] and Ava looks like me," he told Extra in October 2022. "My response is always, 'Duh ... How are you surprised that children look like their parents?' Isn't that biologically how it's meant to work?"
Deacon is currently attending New York University. In January 2023, he posted photos and videos from his college experience on Instagram.
In one, he sat in his dorm with a lit-up broken heart and a red EMBIID 21 basketball jersey behind him. "In flow," he captioned a series of pictures.
In April 2023, Witherspoon, Phillippe and Ava attended the release party for Deacon's debut album, A New Earth.
"All I can say is that it came from pure love, for what I do and for the people that listen," he wrote on Instagram when introducing the record to his followers. "This is a story of my life, our lives, and of love and life in general; it carries thoughts and emotions that I've accumulated, felt, observed, bottled up, and dealt with through the last 19 years of my life. This project was created in my dorm, made by three college kids with big dreams and bigger hearts.
Tennessee James Toth, 13
Reese Witherspoon Instagram Jim Toth, Reese Witherspoon, Tennessee James Toth, Deacon Phillippe and Ava Phillippe
Witherspoon and Toth, welcomed their only child together, Tennesse Toth, on Sep. 27, 2012, in L.A.
Although Witherspoon keeps him out of the public eye, she has occasionally shared photos of her youngest on social media over the years, including many birthday tributes.
Amid the pandemic in 2020, she gave fans a glimpse of what it was like homeschooling her young son.
The next year, Tennessee joined the entire family at the premiere of Witherspoon's animated movie Sing 2 in 2021. The mom of three posted a video from the night on Instagram as well as a shot of the family at the original movie's premiere five years prior.
Following Witherspoon and Toth's divorce news in March 2023, a source told PEOPLE the parents are focused on taking care of their family.
Reese Witherspoon/Instagram
Reese Witherspoon with her kids
"They love Tennessee, and this is their focus. The move from Los Angeles to Nashville was a big deal for him," the insider shared. "They don't want the divorce to affect him negatively. They will continue to co-parent amicably. There is no drama."
In September 2023, Witherspoon celebrated her youngest's 11th birthday by sharing a sweet photo of her embracing Tennessee.
"Happy 11th Birthday to my wonderful son, Tenn! 💫," she wrote. "I love your curiosity, your endless energy and your playful sense of humor. Everyday you make me think more about the world around us and dream even bigger. I 💙you so much, Buddy!"
Much like his older siblings, Tennessee is already making his mark. In February 2025, Witherspoon revealed in an interview with Buzzfeed UK that her youngest child made a cameo in her movie, You're Cordially Invited.
“One of my kids is in the movie,” Witherspoon revealed. “He’s a little dude. He’s in a tiny scene. That’s an Easter egg!”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
