Acclaimed actress Reese Witherspoon is freshly divorced. In the aftermath of her split from her husband of 12 years, she faced criticism over her appearance after a photo of her taking a walk alongside Nicole Kidman surfaced. But it will not be the first time Witherspoon has changed her appearance, as her transformation has been evident over the years.
It is the end of the road for Reese Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, after Witherspoon filed for divorce in March 2023. The pair announced their split two days before celebrating their 12th wedding anniversary.
The “Just Like Heaven” star and her beau tied the knot in March 2011 at Witherspoon’s ranch in Ojai, California, and share a son, 10-year-old Tennessee. Following their split, the two will focus on raising their son after Witherspoon requested the courts for joint custody during the divorce filings.
The news came as a shock to fans, but those who were close to the pair say it was not as surprising. According to a source, there had been tell-tale signs of their split for a while, and their divorce announcement only confirmed what most people close to them already knew was an eventuality.
The source revealed that since 2021, the pair had been itching for lives apart from each other because they both wanted different things for their lives. It was a matter of when not if.
Despite the “Sweet Home Alabama” actress and her husband running a successful business together, they could not make their marriage work. A source revealed that the pair sold their company Hello Sunshine in 2021 for almost a billion dollars, and while the money was cause for celebration, it also sent them in different directions.
By the time they were filing for divorce, the source says they could not agree on anything except being dedicated parents to their son. The only common ground remained to raise their son, Tennessee.
And while the pair drifting apart was the primary cause for their split, it all resulted from numerous reasons. According to The Sun, Toth’s career change from the agency business may have partially informed their decision to go separate ways. A former agent, Toth quit his job at Hollywood Powerhouse CAA, choosing instead to become an investor.
He then became the advisor and investor in Hello Sunshine, and upon its sale, which gave the couple more money than they knew what to do with, he wanted to search for greener pastures. The source said:
“He’s wanted this for a long time.”
On the other hand, Witherspoon has always been ambitious and has had an unprecedented focus on her job. And even though she loves being a huge part of her business and her career, the serious business meetings were never Toth’s cup of tea. Over time, he allegedly got tired of the Hollywood rat race and was looking to venture into other things.
Ultimately, the only plausible decision was to go separate ways and do their own things, and a divorce was the right choice for them. The Sun reports:
“They’ve been heading in different directions for a couple of years now, and a divorce simply makes that official.”
Despite divorcing amicably, the aftermath has not been easy, and Witherspoon has recently found herself on the receiving end of fans’ criticism. On May 9, The Met Gala Twitter account posted a photo of Witherspoon taking a walk with Nicole Kidman in Nashville, Tennessee. The ensuing reactions almost brought Twitter to a standstill.
Many fans expressed concern over her looks just two months after her divorce, with many comments under the photo focusing on how skinny she looked.
One @MarinaAlencar9 wondered, “OMG! Is Reese ok? She is too skinny.” A second fan felt Witherspoon looked older than her age.
Another concerned fan @Orhieoghene wrote: “Reese Witherspoon looks old, sha. Kai, [sic],” while another noted that Witherspoon and Kidman’s looks were now more appropriate for their age:
“They finally look their age.”
However, this will not be the first time the “Your Place or Mine” star has made a statement change to her looks. Over the years, she has experimented with a few different appearances and has never shied away from looking different.
Even though some of her transformations resulted from her life circumstances at that moment, such as her pregnancies, she has always embraced the changes.
Reese Witherspoon’s Transformation Through the Years
The “Big Little Lies” actress’s transformation has been incredibly notable over the years, beginning when the star was only a pre-teen. In 2021, the actress shared a throwback photo of herself as an 11-year-old, which showed just how far she has come in terms of looks.
In the photo, dated 1987, the actress wore a striped black and white Benetton sweater. She also had a head full of red hair and wore glasses.
It remains uncertain how long she stayed a redhead, but by the time she hit 25 and appeared in “Legally Blonde,” — a storyline targeting the dumb blonde stereotypes — she was sporting a blonde look and had gotten rid of the glasses.
However, her changes have been more than just hair-related. At 23, she got pregnant with her first child with then-husband Ryan Phillippe and would show off her pregnancy body with beautiful fitting dresses that hugged her figure and showed off her baby bump.
By the time she was 27, she already had two children, Ava Elizabeth Phillippe and Deacon Reese Phillippe, and admitted she had much growing up to do. However, she continued landing significant films, and her career was at an all-time high.
“Legally Blonde” and its 2003 sequel became major hits, earning her even more desirable roles such as playing the iconic June Carter in “Walk the Line,” a Johnny Cash biopic.
The actress won her first Oscar nomination for the role, eventually winning her first Academy Award. Around the same time, she changed her hair to her natural brunette color.
Over the years, she has continued to change her looks, and despite being a natural brunette, her go-to hair color has always been blonde. She has also made incredible progress in her career, appearing in fan-favorite films and even starting her production company, Hello Sunshine.
With that success, she branched out to start a fashion line, Draper James. She continued to feature in successful films, eventually transitioning to TV with her role in “Big Little Lies.”
Throughout the years, the actress has maintained a beautiful lean, and trim body. And while many mothers struggle to attain their post-baby bodies, Witherspoon seemed to bounce right back months after having her babies. Her dress choices also helped accentuate her beauty and enhance her sleek physique.
Today, she maintains a body that many can only envy, even after having three children. Knowing the work that goes into looking that good, it is safe to say that Witherspoon has it all figured out. She is successful in all aspects of her life; she is beautiful with an enviable body that has not felt the effect of time, and is a prolific actress and businesswoman.
However, her most important role has been motherhood. With three children shared with her ex-husbands, Witherspoon has been busy. At 47, she is a proud mother to 23-year-old Ava, 19-year-old Deacon, and 10-year-old Tennessee.
She admits that balancing parenting with her multi-faceted career is challenging, but it is all worth it. Motherhood remains the most rewarding of her journeys.
She confessed that motherhood was the most significant part of her life but added, “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.”
What Is Reese Doing After Her Divorce?
Witherspoon and Toth’s divorce has been one of the quietest in Hollywood history, with the pair choosing to go their separate ways amicably. There has been no drama from the divorce, and the actress now focuses on raising her children.
However, that is not to mean that the actress has had it easy. She and Toth had been together for over a decade, and walking away from that was challenging.
People Magazine reported that the “Wild” actress did not see herself going through another divorce and was obviously upset and disappointed. Their relationship started after being set up and moved quickly, but their differences became even more pronounced over the years.
Witherspoon was always the most strong-willed and focused one, while Toth was more laid back. Initially, the arrangement worked well for them until it didn’t.
Going separate ways remained the only option for them, and while it was difficult, in the grand scheme of things, it was the right thing to do for both of them.
It has only been two months since Witherspoon and Toth announced their divorce, but it is just the beginning of a new chapter of the “Cruel Intentions” star’s life. It is, however, only natural to want to heal from the failure of her marriage, and luckily, she has people helping her.
According to a source, Witherspoon has always had many close friends, and her inner circle has been very instrumental in helping her find her ground after the divorce. The source told People:
“Reese has many girlfriends that she leans on. She always had a large group of close friends. She has a lot of support. She is positive about her future.”
Even as her marriage winds down, she now focuses on other aspects of her life, such as her career. With many projects set in the future, fans are more excited about the return of “Legally Blonde.”
First released in 2001, the film featured Witherspoon as Elle Woods, a perky sorority queen whose boyfriend leaves her for another girl. She enrolls in Harvard Law School to teach him a lesson. The film’s sequel, “Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde,” came out in 2003 and, like its predecessor, became an instant hit.
Over the years, there was speculation of the third installment of the film being released, but in 2020, that dream became a reality after Mindy Kaling announced that she would be a writer for the movie alongside Dan Goor. Witherspoon will be on board as a star and producer of the film.
Kaling teased that the film would tackle questions like where Elle Woods was at 42, what her life was like, and whether she had become everything she’d wanted.
It would also answer questions of whether she had become more pessimistic, whether the cheerfulness that worked for her as a young 22-year-old still did two decades later, and even how her personality had manifested as a grown-up.
Even though the release date was set for 2020, the chaos surrounding the pandemic made it impossible, with a new date set for May 2022. However, that did not come to pass, with Kaling explaining that they were still working on the script and did not want to ruin “what’s basically Reese’s “Avengers” franchise.”
Witherspoon explained the delay, noting that just like “Top Gun: Maverick,” where the producers waited a long time to release the film, they were also taking their time with “Legally Blonde 3,” because they wanted to produce a movie that would matter to people.
As she takes on the world as a single mom of three, Witherspoon continues to inspire others as an actress, a producer, and an overall successful businesswoman. She also continues to run her online book club, where she has been recommending her best reads to readers since 2017. Based on her Instagram, the mother of three also loves dogs and is often photographed holding different pets.