Reese Witherspoon has accomplished a lot in life. In addition to her successful acting career that includes an Oscar win for Walk the Line, Reese owns a clothing company, Draper James, and is the co-founder of a successful media company, Hello Sunshine, that has produced a number of her hit shows, including Big Little Lies, The Morning Show and Little Fires Everywhere. But Reese’s greatest accomplishment is undoubtedly that of being a mother to her three beloved children: Ava Phillippe, Deacon Phillippe and Tennessee Toth.
Below, learn more about Reese’s kids following her divorce from Jim Toth.
Ava is Reese’s eldest child with her first husband, actor Ryan Phillippe. She was born on September 9, 1999 — just three months after the couple tied the knot in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 5, 1999. Reese, who split from Ryan in 2006, later revealed in a 2008 interview with Jay Leno that Ava was named after Hollywood icon Ava Gardner. “To me, she was the only woman who could break Sinatra,” Reese said. “So the idea of that name to me is very classy and strong.”
As of summer 2021, Ava was studying at the University of California, Berkeley. In a 2019 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Reese admitted it was tough watching her eldest leave for college. “It’s weird when your children go away to college. It’s hard,” she said. “I might have gone into her empty room, laid down on her bed, and cried.”
Alongside her studies, Ava has pursued occasional modeling work, including a standout appearance in Rodarte’s Fall 2018 lookbook alongside Marvel stars Danai Gurira and Tessa Thompson. She’s also shown an interest in the arts, sharing her own photography, abstract drawings, and sculptures on social media.
Despite her busy schedule, Ava still makes plenty of time for Reese. The look-alike duo is often spotted together, both privately and at high-profile events. In May 2019, they attended the Big Little Lies premiere, where fans couldn’t get over how much Ava resembled her mom. She also joined Reese at the LA Dance Project Gala in 2018 and the Wall Street Journal Magazine Innovator Awards in 2017.
In 2025, Ava made her acting debut on the ABC series The Odyssey. In a behind-the-scenes clip shared on Doctor Odyssey’s social media, Ava revealed she plays a character named Veronica in an episode premiering on April 3.
