Reese Witherspoon Feels 'Vulnerable' Amid Her Divorce From Jim Toth
When Reese Witherspoon announced her divorce from Jim Toth, she decided to break the sad news on Instagram — mere days before what would have been the now exes' 12th-anniversary celebration. "We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together," she wrote (via Cosmopolitan). She also wrote that she and Toth were prioritizing their 10-year-old son, Tennessee James, as they prepared to navigate the tricky enterprise of co-parenting.
Witherspoon's Instagram post was later deleted, but not because she and Toth were having second thoughts; in April 2023, TMZ obtained court documents confirming that the "Legally Blonde" star and the talent agent had filed for divorce. Their split has also been the subject of a number of rumors. One source told The Sun that Toth's decision to accept an executive role with the doomed streaming platform Quibi put a strain on their marriage. "His personality, his attitude and his whole take on life really changed when he got out of the agency business and decided he was tired of that stuffy world," said the insider. "Call it a midlife crisis if you want." Another source told People, "Reese is obviously disappointed and upset. She never saw herself getting another divorce."
Instead of allowing the tabloids to continue controlling her divorce narrative, Witherspoon has also decided to open up about how she's feeling after becoming a two-time divorcée.
How Reese Witherspoon's two divorces are different
Reese Witherspoon didn't refute or confirm any of the rumors about her divorce in a July 2023 interview with Harper's Bazaar, but she did mention them. "There's speculation, but I can't control that. All I can do is be my most honest, forthright self and be vulnerable," she stated. "It's a vulnerable time for me." Witherspoon revealed that she found it refreshing to share the news of her divorce in her own words on social media, which is something she was unable to do when she and Ryan Phillippe ended their seven-year marriage in 2006. "The tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control," she said. One such report from that time was a National Enquirer story claiming that Witherspoon was "heartbroken" after finding evidence of Phillippe's alleged infidelity.
In a 2014 "60 Minutes" interview, Witherspoon said that her divorce from Phillippe negatively impacted her career for years as she struggled to land roles that she felt a connection to. "You can't really be very creative when you feel like your brain is scrambled eggs," she said. This time around, she told Harper's Bazaar that she's decided to take it easier on herself instead of pushing full steam ahead. "I really believe creativity is infinite and you're just looking for that next bit of inspiration, so if you go through a little slow period, that's okay," she said.