Reese Witherspoon’s Kids Look So Much Like Her

Witherspoon welcomed her firstborn, Ava Elizabeth Phillippe (named for Ava Gardner), on September 9, 1999. At the time, Witherspoon was just getting started in her career and was married to her now ex-husband Ryan Phillippe. Witherspoon spoke candidly about her experience being a young mom on her Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine YouTube page, saying, “I’ve been a mom since 1999. I got pregnant [with daughter Ava] when I was 22. I delivered when I was 23. To be totally honest, it was scary. I was scared. I didn't know what it was going to do to my job or my career.” Regardless of her new mom status, Witherspoon’s career continued to take off. 

Phillippe is now 25 years old and studied social welfare at the University of Berkeley, California. In addition to her studies, she has also modeled for her mom’s Draper James line, as well as fashion house Rodarte, and casually appeared in Vogue alongside her mom and grandma. In 2021, Ava also became the face of Pat McGrath's Bridgerton collection and starred in Ivy Park's Holiday 2021 campaign.

In high school, she made her debut at the iconic Le Bal des Débutantes in Paris and even landed a hostess job at Pizzana restaurant in Los Angeles. Like her mom, she’s very creative and enjoys sketching pictures and creating clay sculptures. Witherspoon told Parents in 2024, "My daughter is incredibly thoughtful. She’s a beautiful writer and will write me long letters. She’s also an amazing gift giver; homemade presents are her love language."

Witherspoon’s second child with Phillippe arrived on October 23, 2003. Believe it or not, Deacon’s middle name is his mom’s screen name, Reese. (Fun fact: Witherspoon’s actual name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, and Reese is her mom’s maiden name). Anyway, Deacon graduated from high school in 2022 and is now studying music at New York University. He dropped his first song, “Long Run,” in July 2020 and released his follow-up single, “Love for the Summer,” in October 2020. Naturally, Reese proved to be his biggest fan when she promoted his music on her Instagram account. She wrote, “New Song of the Summer!”

In April 2023, Deacon released his debut album, A New Earth, and wrote on Instagram, "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."

In addition, the teen is pursuing acting. Deacon made his acting debut in season three of Netflix's Never Have I Ever, where he played Parker. Show creator Mindy Kaling told Entertainment Tonight, "Reese had told me that he was interested in performing, and I only had this role that seemed really good for him. He's so super talented, obviously really handsome, but here's this kid who's been raised by two very successful actors and he wanted to learn. He came to set, he really wanted to learn from our cast, and I just love that energy."

Aside from making a name for himself in the entertainment world, Deacon is frequently featured on his mom’s Instagram account. While chatting with Parents about his personality, Witherspoon noted, "My middle son is very present when he’s with you. He’s not on his phone. He’s not addicted to social media. He’s present and spiritual."