Reese Witherspoon Reflects on Ex Ryan Phillippe's Comment About Money at 2002 Oscars

Reese Witherspoon is looking back at something that happened at the 2002 Oscars, where she presented on stage with then-husband Ryan Phillippe.

Just as Ryan was opening the envelope to announce the winner, he handed the envelope to Reese to reveal the winner. He said in the moment, “You make more money than I do.”

While speaking on the HFPA in Conversation podcast, Reese opened up about how she was caught off-guard in that moment.

“You’re reminding me of that! I forgot that ever happened,” Reese said (via E! News). “But you’re right, he did say that, and no, it wasn’t scripted, and he didn’t tell me he was going to say that before it happened on air. So I was a little bit flummoxed in the moment, too.”

Reese opened up about the pressure that women face when they achieve success.

She said, “There’s so few women that make a lot of money that sometimes they’re shamed for it, and sometimes they are expected to give more and do more and be more to others in the same position that, say, a male movie star would not be expected to. But I do think gender norms have changed quite a bit since that moment in 2000 or something.”

Keep reading to check out the story Reese told about her daughter finding out she makes a lot of money.

When Reese‘s daughter Ava was in the second grade, she came home in tears one day after other students told her that her mom is “one of the highest-paid actress in Hollywood.”

Ava was “so embarrassed” by what was said and Reese says she told her some good advice.

“I said, ‘Don’t ever feel ashamed of a woman making money. There are women all over this world who don’t have an opportunity or an education or the ability to make money. And the more women who make more money, will give more money away, will take care of their societies, will take care of their communities, will do more with that money. So don’t ever feel bad about your mom making money, and don’t ever feel bad if you make money, and don’t be embarrassed or ashamed if its more than your partner,’” she said.

See the family photos that Reese shared from Christmas in 2020!