Reese Witherspoon’s son Deacon Phillippe has faced accusations of being a “nepo baby” after he recently gave a tour of his apartment in New York City.
Caleb Simpson is a TikToker known for walking up to random people on the street and asking them how much they pay for rent before requesting a tour of the respective apartment. His most recent guest was the actress’s son, 20-year-old Deacon Phillippe.
Phillippe, a student at New York University, told the TikToker that he lives in the West Village in Manhattan, but he wouldn’t give away how much rent is in that part of the city. When Simpson asked him, Witherspoon’s son responded: “West Village prices man.”
However, he added that he had time to show the TikToker what his apartment looked like while he was “in-between classes”. Upon first walking in, the pair were exposed to a two-floor setup with high ceilings, in addition to a large spiral black staircase in the middle of the living area.
After Simpson was introduced to Phillippe’s two roommates, he decided to see what food the college students had in their stainless steel refrigerator. Despite looking sparse, the TikToker claimed it was “not bad actually”.
Other apartment features included what the three roommates called their “vinyl wall.” with multiple shelves holding records against an exposed brick wall and a plant which Phillippe named “Daryll.”
Because Witherspoon’s son is a musician and recently released his debut LP, the apartment had a total of three different keyboards with two in the living area and another in his bedroom, which Phillippe called his “studio setup”.
“I sing and play a little bit of keyboard but I mostly make music on my computer,” he told viewers in the TikTok.
Despite the otherwise lavish-looking apartment, Deacon showed that it did still have its classic New York City quirks, as the bathroom door could barely close without making contact with the sink.
Since the video was first posted on Tuesday 14 November, it’s been viewed over 400,000 times, with many people pointing out how Phillippe never mentioned his famous parents, and that they are likely paying for the apartment.
“How much do you pay? The correct answer is: ask my mom and dad,” one commenter wrote.
Another commenter agreed, writing: “West Village prices is rich kid language for free.”
“Rich kids / nepo babies LOVE to avoid mentioning their extremely wealthy parents,” a third commenter pointed out.
“Let’s not forget that his mom and dad are wealthy celebrities,” another added, referring to Witherspoon and Phillippe’s father, actor Ryan Phillippe. “He could afford the whole place if he wanted to!”
However, some commenters defended Phillippe on the basis that he still has roommates, despite possibly not needing them, as well as highlighting how common it can be for the parents of college students to pay for their rent. “Why are people being mean? He’s in school. Seems humble. Has roommates. Plenty of NYU kids also come from rich families…” one comment read.
“This is not even nepo baby - nepo baby is if he got a job bc of their connections, this is just parents helping kid in college sheesh,” a second commenter agreed.
The Independent has contacted a representative for Witherspoon for comment.
