Going their separate ways. Reese Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, have called it quits after 11 years of marriage.
“We have some personal news to share … It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the former couple said in a joint statement shared via Instagram on Friday, March 24. “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.”
The duo added: “Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter. These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone’s respect for our family’s privacy at this time.”
The Oscar winner, 47, and the talent agent, 52, have been married since March 2011 and would have celebrated their 12th anniversary on Sunday, March 26. They are the parents of 10-year-old son Tennessee. Witherspoon also shares 23-year-old daughter Ava and 19-year-old son Deacon with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, to whom she was married from June 1999 to June 2008.
The Legally Blonde star met Toth in early 2010 at a mutual friend’s house shortly after her split from Jake Gyllenhaal. Two years later, she shared the hilarious story of their first encounter.
“It happened out of the blue,” she recalled to Elle in January 2012. “This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me. He was like, [slurring, scowling, pointing finger in her face] ‘You don’t know me.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I know. I don’t know you!’ Jim came over and said, ‘Please excuse my friend. He’s just broken up with someone.’ Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation. That’s just kind of who he is, a really good person.”
Us broke the news of the pair’s engagement in December 2010, with Witherspoon’s rep saying, “They are extremely happy.”
The actress and the former Creative Artist Agency employee infamously hit a bump in the road in April 2013 when they were arrested in Atlanta on charges of disorderly conduct and driving under the influence, respectively. She was subsequently ordered to pay a fine, while he was sentenced to community service, one year of probation and an alcohol education program.
Witherspoon and Toth quickly bounced back from the incident, but first she had to talk to her three children about it.
“We have to say, ‘When you make a mistake, you take responsibility,’ and we are taking responsibility and doing everything in our power to make it right,” she said on Good Morning America in May 2013 after acknowledging that she and the former Quibi executive “know better and … shouldn’t have done that.”
Throughout their marriage, the Big Little Lies alum spoke highly of Toth and gave him credit for being a supportive partner in good and bad times.
“[He] cares deeply about equality and always tells me, ‘Why wouldn’t you call the person in charge of a company and have a personal relationship with them?’” she told Marie Claire in February 2018. “He’s encouraged me to be outspoken.”
The duo achieved a milestone in their relationship in March 2021. “Celebrating 10 years of marriage to my sweet hubby. What a special day with all of our dear friends,” she captioned an Instagram photo from their wedding. “Looking back, I can’t believe it has gone so quickly! I guess that’s how it goes with 3 kids, Big LOVE, lots of laughing, non-stop travel, so many dogs and fun adventures … figuring out this crazy world together. Here’s to many more days in the sun! I [love] you, JT.”
Prior to Witherspoon’s split from Toth, a source told Us in December 2021 that her coparenting dynamic with Phillippe, 48, had “never been better.” The Big Sky alum did not experience “a lot of overlap between his and Jim’s responsibilities” with the kids, the insider revealed, noting that they filled “different roles in [Ava and Deacon’s] lives.”
The pair have done their best to remain cordial for their children, and they frequently reunite to celebrate Ava and Deacon’s accomplishments or birthdays. “I knew that even if we didn’t make it, she would be a great person to raise kids with,” Phillippe told the Irish Times in October 2022. “I’ve never said a bad word about her or our past, and I never would. I respect and admire her, and we made some pretty great and beautiful kids.”
