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Reese Witherspoon: The Woman Who’s Inspiring A Movement

Sain April 16, 2025

Let’s talk about Reese Witherspoon, because honestly, who isn’t talking about her right now? Even Olympic ice skater Adam Rippon, who helped the U.S. team secure a bronze medal on February 12, had something to say about her. “I owe a lot of this medal to Reese,” he joked, referencing the Oscar-winning actress who’s been vocal about her admiration for him. Adam went on to say, “I really want to make her proud because she’s spent, like, at least three minutes crafting tweets to me personally. I feel a deep connection to her now.”

But it’s not just Adam Rippon who feels this way. Reese Witherspoon has become a household name for more than just her acting. She’s everywhere—producing and starring in the Emmy-winning Big Little Lies, running her own successful clothing line, Draper James, and even becoming a symbol of empowerment. Why? Because she’s not afraid to talk about her personal struggles with abuse and sexual harassment. “The #MeToo movement has made me want to speak up and speak up loudly,” Reese, 41, says. And when she does, people listen. It’s changing her life in ways she never imagined.

Reese’s Journey to Finding Her Voice

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It hasn’t been easy for Reese to open up about her past. In October, she revealed that she was sexually assaulted by a director when she was just 16 years old. And in a recent conversation with her A Wrinkle in Time co-star Oprah Winfrey, she admitted that leaving an abusive relationship was one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made. But she knows that if she hadn’t stood up for herself, she wouldn’t be the person she is today. “It changed who I was on a cellular level,” she says. “I stood up for myself, and that made all the difference.” Now, with her newfound voice, Reese says she feels free—a feeling she hasn’t experienced in a long time. Friends tell Closer Weekly that she’s “more centered than ever” and “finally feels free.”

How Reese’s Voice is Transforming Her Career

When Reese began advocating for herself in her professional life, it didn’t just transform her career—it transformed her. After making a few movies that didn’t excite her, her husband, talent agent Jim Toth, encouraged her to take control of her career. “You read more books than anybody I know,” he told her. “Why don’t you start turning them into your own projects?” And that’s exactly what she did. “I get a lot of support from my husband,” Reese says. “He’s encouraged me to be outspoken, both in my career and in my personal life.”

Teaching Her Kids to Speak Up

Reese is teaching her children—Ava, 18, Deacon, 14, from her first marriage to actor Ryan Phillippe, and Tennessee Toth, 5—to speak up and stand up for themselves. “She doesn’t want her kids to make the same mistakes she did and stay silent,” an insider tells Closer Weekly. Reese is determined to use her platform to keep speaking out and ensure her voice is heard. She’s currently working on 23 projects driven by strong female characters through her production company, Hello Sunshine. That includes Season 2 of Big Little Lies, starring Meryl Streep, and developing a series about a morning news show with Jennifer Aniston.

Reese, who describes herself as “a glass-half-full person,” is optimistic about the future. “If we can raise awareness and create real change,” she says, “that’s what’s going to transform this industry and society as a whole.” And she’s committed to doing just that—keeping the conversation going until meaningful change happens.