Reese Witherspoon's 3 Kids: All About Ava, Deacon and Tennessee

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo: Reese Witherspoon Instagram

Witherspoon shares daughterAva Phillippe, 25, and sonDeacon Phillippe, 21, with ex-husbandRyan Phillippe, as well as son Tennessee James Toth, 12, with her exJim Toth. In March 2023 — days before Witherspoon and Toth’s 12-year wedding anniversary —the couple announced their divorce. “Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter,” they wrote in a joint statement. A source also told PEOPLE that the two are “committed to co-parenting together.”

While balancing motherhood with the demands of her multifaceted career has certainly not been easy, Witherspoon says the sacrifices were “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 saidonThe 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.”

Reese Witherspoon Instagram

Witherspoon also spoke about parentingduring an interviewwithGayle KingforInStyle, where she explained that her kids are her “first, most important priority.” She continued, “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 a February 2023 interview, Witherspoon and herYour Place or MinecostarAshton Kutcherspoke with PEOPLE about parenting and how their kidsoften depend on texting.

“There’s a point at which you need to get off texts,” the mom of three said. “I talk to my older kids about the power of picking up the phone. Direct communication can sometimes get right to the point. But kids that age don’t like you to call them. They’re like, ‘Ugh, it’s my mom!’ "

Here’s everything to know about Witherspoon’s three children.

Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, 25

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Witherspoon and Phillippe’s older child, Ava Elizabeth Philippe, was born on Sep. 9, 1999, in L.A. Witherspoon was just 23 years old when she had Ava. The actress laterspoke about being a young momduring an appearance onThe Drew Barrymore Show.

“To be completely candid, I was terrified,” Witherspoon told hostDrew 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.”

Ava is now 25 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 saidin an interviewwithInStyle.

Stefanie Keenan/Getty

The mother-daughter duo also share a similar sense of style and a passion for beauty.While speaking to PEOPLE at Coachella, Ava joked 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.

While her mominspires herin many ways, Ava is carving out her own path. In addition tograduating from UC Berkeley, she’s also pursuing a career in modeling and has landed campaigns with brands likePat McGrath,Beyonce’s Ivy Parkand her mother’s line,Draper James.

In July 2023, Ava joined her mom atOceana’s annual Sea Change summer party. The mother-daughter duo had a twinning moment on the red carpet — they both wore strapless ensembles and had their hair styled in effortless beach waves.

Ava Phillippe Instagram

Two months later, Witherspoon celebratedAva’s 24th birthdaywith a lovingtribute on Instagram. The proud mom shared a cute throwback photo from when Ava was young as well as a more recent picture of the mother-daughter duo.

“Happy Birthday to my glorious girl,” the actress wrote in the caption. “It’s the joy of my life to watch you grow and become the most inspiring, thoughtful, creative, dynamic, funny woman.”

Deacon Reese Phillippe, 21

Deacon Phillippe Instagram

Deacon Reese Phillippe was born on Oct. 23, 2003, in L.A.

The now-21-year-old graduated from high school in the spring of 2022, and his parents threwa backyard commencement ceremonyto mark the occasion. Witherspoon also shared a sweetInstagram posthonoring the milestone. “So proud of the thoughtful, talented, kind & generous young man you have become. You light up our hearts and make us proud everyday,” she wrote in the caption.

Deacon is following in his parent’s footsteps and pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. He has already taken the first steps in his career as a music producer with the release of hishit single “Long Run” in 2020.

Witherspoon couldn’t have been more proud of her son’s accomplishment and she posted an adorablevideo of her dancing to the songon Instagram. “When your kid has his first single … you gotta dance!” the caption read.

He opened up about his passion for producing withInterviewmagazineand 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, and hemade his acting debutin the third season of Netflix’s teen showNever Have I Ever.

ForInterviewmagazine, Witherspoon opened up about what it’s been liketo watch both Ava and Deacon grow up.

“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 toldTracee Ellis Rossduring the interview. “So I’m really, really grateful that these little humans are in my life. Adult humans. I have two adult children now, Tracee. It’s crazy.”

Many people have commented on the fact thatDeacon 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 toldExtra. “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?”

Ava Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, and Deacon Phillippe attend.Stefanie Keenan/Getty

Deacon iscurrently attending New York University. On Feb. 1, 2023, he posted photos and videos from his college experience on Instagram. In one photo, he sat in his dorm with a lit-up broken heart and a red EMBIID 21 basketball jersey behind him.

“In flow” he wrote inthe caption.

In April 2023, Witherspoon, Phillippe and Ava attended therelease party for Deacon’s debut album,A New Earth.

Tennessee James Toth, 12

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 some shots of her youngest on social media over the years, including manybirthday tributes.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, she gave fans a glimpseof what it was like homeschooling her young son. Tennessee also joined the entire family at the premiere of Witherspoon’s animated movieSing 2in 2021. The mom of three posted a video from the night onInstagramas well as a shot of the family at the original movie’s premiere five years prior.

The actress loves bonding with her boys, and in 2022, sheshared a pictureof herself, Toth and her two sons cheering on the Nashville Soccer Club.

It’s clear his older siblings love to dote on Tennessee as well. Ava posted asweet picturefor his birthday, writing, “Happy happy birthday to this bold, sensitive, smart, & energetic boy. Sure, I was a big sister before him, but he made me an even better one! I love you, Tenn.” While ona family vacation, Deacon posted some pictures of himself and Tennessee goofing around.

“Bean down,” Deacon captioned thesnaps, which showed Tennessee hanging on his older brother’s back before he tumbled to the ground laughing.

“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.”

Much like his older siblings, Tennessee is already making his mark. In February 2025, Witherspoon revealed in an interview withBuzzfeed UKthat her youngest child made a cameo in her movie,You’re Cordially Invited.

“One of my kidsis in the movie,” Witherspoon revealed. “He’s a little dude. He’s in a tiny scene. That’s an Easter egg!”

source: people.com