Reese Witherspoon is opening up about a painful chapter in her past and how it shaped the woman she is today.
The Morning Show star revealed that she once had to “rewire” her brain after leaving an abusive relationship when she was very young, sharing how the experience left her struggling with self-worth and confidence.
Speaking on the Sept. 20 episode of The New York Times’ The Interview podcast, Reese reflected on how she carried herself at the time despite the turmoil. “I was very good at being a professional and showing up and doing the right thing, but I wasn’t emotionally mature when I was young,” the actress said. “You get into relationships that don’t work for you, and sometimes you don’t even see the dynamics that are happening.”
Although she ultimately walked away from the unhealthy relationship, Reese admitted the damage lingered, particularly in how she saw herself. “It took me a while to reconstitute myself,” the 49-year-old explained. “My spirit had been diminished because I thought all those awful things that person said about me were true. I had to rewire my brain.”
Since then, Reese, who shares daughter Ava, 26, and son Deacon, 21, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, as well as son Tennessee, 13, with ex-husband Jim Toth, has taken time to focus on her own growth and healing. She also acknowledged the challenges of navigating recovery while living in the public eye.
“It took me a long time to be this woman that I am now,” she said. “It’s very hard to be a public figure. I have a lot of compassion for people who live public lives and maintain privacy. It’s nearly impossible at this point with everybody dehumanizing you in a certain way, taking pictures of you like you’re an animal in the zoo instead of a person with their children or having a private moment.”
This is not the first time Reese has spoken about the abuse she endured. In a 2018 interview with Oprah Winfrey for O, The Oprah Magazine, she shared how leaving the relationship changed her life. She recalled drawing “a line in the sand” that was crossed, which triggered a turning point. “My brain just switched,” she said at the time. “It changed who I was on a cellular level, the fact that I stood up for myself. It’s part of the reason I can stand up and say, ‘Yes, I’m ambitious.’ Because someone tried to take that from me.”
Without disclosing specific details about her former partner, Reese has made it clear that standing up for herself at such a pivotal age shaped her strength, resilience, and ambition. Her latest reflections continue to shed light on the long road of healing from emotional and psychological abuse while balancing a high-profile career and personal life.
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