Ryan Phillippe recalls ‘wild night’ with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon in rare marriage admission
Ryan Phillippe still vividly remembers the 2006 Oscars, with one moment involving his then-wife, Reese Witherspoon, leaving a lasting impression.
The actors were still a couple at the time after playing love interests in Cruel Intentions and later married in 1999.
Phillippe, who is starring in the new season of 9-1-1: Nashville, remembered having an ‘out-of-body, out-of-mind experience’ at the ceremony.
“It was a wild night altogether because my wife at the time, Reese Witherspoon, also won Best Actress,” the 52-year-old shared during an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark. “While she was backstage giving her post-award interviews, they called Best Picture for Crash."
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The 2006 ceremony was a major one for the former couple, as Witherspoon on Best Actress for her performance in Walk the Line. The drama film follows the life Johnny Cash and his romance with singer June Carter, played by Witherspoon.
Meanwhile, Phillippe was one of the starring actors in the film Crash which explores racial and social tensions in Los Angeles. It was a box office success and received numerous nominations.
“Morgan Freeman was the presenter of the Best Picture and I had never met Morgan Freeman so I fanned out on stage at the Oscars,” Phillippe added. “I’m like, ‘I’ve always wanted to meet you, sir,’ and this is while the producer is accepting the award. Kind of a funny moment.”
The celebrations had only just begun, as Phillippe remembered partying ‘up until probably 5 or 6 in the morning.’
He teased, “We had such a fun after-party.”
The couple once again made headlines when they announced their separation just a few months later, in October 2006. The Legally Blonde star filed for divorce the following month.
They share to children, Ava, 25, and Deacon, 21. Phillippe reunited with Witherspoon earlier this year to celebrate their son’s graduation from New York University.
The former couple could be seen proudly supporting their son as they snapped pictures of Deacon wearing his graduation gown.
Ava Phillippe also attended the special day, along with Witherspoon’s ex-husband Jim Toth, with whom she says 13-year-old Tennessee.
“My ex-wife and I are blessed with kids who have [an] incredible sense of self, and also are incredibly conscientious and very academically driven—intelligent. So, they make really good choices," he told E! News.
The pair met in March 1997 at Reese’s 21st birthday celebration, where the actress famously joked that Phillippe was her 'birthday present.'
By December 1998, the couple were engaged, and on 5 June 1999, they exchanged vows in an intimate ceremony in South Carolina. Just three months later, on 9 September 1999, they welcomed their first child, daughter Ava Phillippe.
Their romance found its way onto the big screen when they starred together in Cruel Intentions, which became a cult classic. The provocative teen drama that cemented their status as Hollywood’s hottest young couple.
Four years later, their family grew again with the arrival of their son, Deacon Phillippe, on 23 October 2003.
Topics: Celebrity, Reese Witherspoon
Greg Harris