Reese Witherspoon has entertained fans with a new photo with daughter Ava, with viewers shocked by the resemblance shared by the mother-daughter duo.
On Thursday, Witherspoon shared the picture to her Instagram, where she captioned it: “Summer nights with my favourite daughter.” The photo shows the pair both in strapless tops and matching black sunglasses. Witherspoon’s daughter, Ava Phillippe, commented on the post: “Looove you!”
Fans of the pair ran to the comments to note how the influencer, 23, looks just like her actress mother, 47. “Twinning,” one comment read. “Okay I can’t tell you two apart,” another fan agreed.
“Who is who??” someone else asked.
This isn’t the first time the duo has dressed up in matching outfits, as Witherspoon and her daughter wore similar outfits on the red carpet at Oceana’s Sea Change Summer Party back in June. While the Legally Blonde star wore a strapless dress in mint green, her daughter also wore a tube top with matching pants in white, and chose to accessorise the look with a black choker.
Prior to the red carpet, Witherspoon took a selfie of the two wearing matching Waldorf Astoria bathrobes. “Perfect summer night with my girl,” her Instagram caption read. However, as much as fans have tried to call the pair twins, Witherspoon has said that she “just doesn’t see it”.
“She and I don’t see [the resemblance] that much,” the actress said during an episode of Today after Jenna Bush Hager referred to the mother-daughter duo as “twins”. The Morning Show actress shares both Phillipe and her son Deacon, 18 with her ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe, who she split from after nearly 10 years of marriage.
When the actor was posed the same question, he said he thought Ava was the one who more closely resembled his side of the family and it was Deacon that looked more like Reese. “Quite often, the interpretation in the media is that she looks exactly like her mom and he looks exactly like me, but I think we both feel differently about it," he told E! News. “Obviously, there is a father-son resemblance but he actually looks a lot more like Reese’s side of the family. Ava looks more like mine."
After the couple split up, Witherspoon went on to marry Jim Toth in 2011. The two later had their son Tennessee, 10, in 2012. After being married for 11 years they announced in March that they were separating. One week later, Witherspoon filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable difference” as the reason.
Days before their 12th wedding anniversary, the former pair released a since-deleted joint statement. “We have some personal news to share,” the Instagram statement began. “It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce.”
“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,” they continued. “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.”
On 2 August the actress and the talent agent reached a divorce settlement. A final divorce decree was submitted in the Circuit Court of Davidson County, Tennessee. According to TMZ, the former couple signed a marital dissolution agreement and agreed to a parenting plan for their son.
