Reese Witherspoon has been a Hollywood actress since she was a 15-year-old teen who debuted her career with The Man in the Moon. So for over 30 years now, the details of her personal life have been a public affair through two marriages, three kids and a successful career full of notable movies and TV shows she has starred in and produced. As Witherspoon is currently going through a divorce with her husband of 12 years, Jim Toth, the actress revealed one thing that’s different this time around.
Witherspoon and Toth broke the divorce news themselves in March when they revealed an “amicable” split that will see them continuing to co-parent their 10-year-old son Tennessee. The Legally Blonde star said this recently when speaking to how going public with this divorce contrasts with splitting off with Ryan Phillippe back in 2007. In her words:
It’s interesting what happened to me. When I was divorced before, the tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control. To be able to talk to people directly about what’s going on in my life and just share it in the way that I share great professional experiences or personal experiences, it feels much more authentic to be able to say things in my own voice and not let somebody else control what’s happening. Then, of course, there’s speculation, but I can’t control that. All I can do is be my most honest, forthright self and be vulnerable. It’s a vulnerable time for me.
As Witherspoon told Harper’s Bazaar in her cover story, thanks to social media, she has more agency these days to share the information she desires to the public, and it has made for a less stressful experience as she goes through some major changes in her personal life. It must help that thus far, the couple look to be a model for Hollywood couples, with no court drama in sight.
Per speculation, there was “no big scandal” when it came to Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth deciding to divorce. The couple reportedly lost the romantic spark over time and are parting as friends without blaming one another for it coming to an end. Witherspoon even sold a bunch of real estate last year, which could have quietly been a financial move to make their split even easier when splitting up each of their finances.
With the actress and producer having gone through a divorce over fifteen years earlier, one can imagine she’s learned a few things about how to split with a long term partner in front of the world. Witherspoon’s first marriage was with her Cruel Intentions co-star Ryan Phillippe, whom she married in her early twenties before having two of her three children together. Without a prenup in place, the couple faced legal issues for a year before settling on an arrangement that gave them both joint custody of their kids. With Toth, the couple signed a prenuptial agreement that seemingly went over smoothly as they split.
Reese Witherspoon looks to be navigating her divorce so smoothly in light of so many celebrity couples having disagreements on the topic. Of course, either way, the ending of a marriage is a very personal and emotional time in one's life. The actress is reportedly taking some time to slow down during this time, and shared she feels “very connected” rather than feeling isolated, especially knowing that people all over the world are handling split marriages themselves.
