Reese Witherspoon and Son Deacon Turn Heads at 'Elle' Premiere
Reese Witherspoon made the world premiere of Elle a family affair!
The Oscar winner, 50, was joined by her son, Deacon Phillippe, on the red carpet Tuesday, June 23, at the New York City premiere of her new Legally Blonde prequel series.
Witherspoon, who shares son Deacon, 22, and daughter Ava, 26, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, stunned in a pink gown with lace floral detailing. Deacon looked suave in a black suit and matched his mom with a pink tie.
Deacon has followed his mom and dad’s acting footsteps, even starring alongside Ryan, 51, in the coming-of-age drama Motorheads, which aired on Amazon Prime Video in 2025.
“It’s so unique to be in a situation like this where you’re both working on a show with really good people,” Ryan exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025. “It definitely wasn’t lost on either of us.”
“There were times when we would look at each other and just be like, ‘Can you believe that we’re actually doing this?'” he added.
Costar Nathalie Kelly told Us, “[Deacon is] the most charismatic, polite, thoughtful young man I have ever met.”
“I’m like, wow! If this is what the new generation of men are coming out, looking like, sounding like, acting like, then I feel more at ease about the future of our species,” she continued. “Honestly, what an incredible young man.”
“I think it was [Deacon’s] first major acting role, and super sweet to see the father-son dynamic and how proud Ryan was,” Kelley added. “Ryan was trying to navigate how much to interfere and how much to let him be in his own process. I learned a lot from having my own kids on the show, from observing Ryan as a father and just realizing, like, how beautiful that the cycle of life is.”
Witherspoon and Phillippe first began dating in 1997, before costarring in Cruel Intentions. They got married in 1999, but announced their separation in 2006. Their divorce was finalized a year later.
Despite ending things, a source exclusively told Us in April that the former couple remains close. In fact, they both attended Deacon’s graduation from New York University last month.
“She is very close to Ryan,” the insider said. “They have been coparenting through the years, and they are friends.”
“Since her divorce from Ryan, she has been supportive of her kids going into the entertainment industry,” the source added. “Anything they want to do, they are both supportive.”
Witherspoon serves as an executive producer on Elle, which follows her Legally Blonde character, Elle Woods, during her high school years. The series is set to premiere on Prime Video on July 1.
