Deacon Reese Phillippe Is Growing Up So Fast

Reese Witherspoon's look-alike daughter Ava Phillippe became a big sister when brother Deacon Reese Phillippe was born in 2003. Witherspoon and her husband at the time, Ryan Phillippe, decided to name him after his mom and one of Ryan's relatives; Deacon is the nickname of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Charles Louis Phillippe.

While his moniker is inspired by an athlete who was active in the 1900s, Deacon got an early taste of acting when his mother was cast in a movie set in the 1800s. But since he was still in the womb, he didn't get an IMDb credit for helping his mom play a pregnant woman most convincingly in the film, "Vanity Fair." Witherspoon recalled in a 2003 BBC interview: "I told [director Mira Nair] I was already about four weeks pregnant so we better get going. She thought it would really help the piece and she used it as part of the development of the story."

Deacon didn't get bitten by the acting bug as a young child, but cameras became a regular part of his life. As the son of two popular Hollywood stars, he was destined to be a prime paparazzi target. "My children will tell you stories about being in preschool and people climbing on the roofs of our cars," Reese told Time in 2021. It might be hard to believe, but Deacon has reached adulthood and is actively seeking camera lenses. The difference is he's now in control of the content that we see.

Reese Witherspoon won an Oscar for her performance as singer-songwriter June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line." However, Deacon Phillippe was no fan of her impressive vocal work in the 2005 biopic. In an interview with Moviehole, Witherspoon recalled her toddler son's dramatic reaction to hearing a recording of her singing in the film. "Deacon put his fingers in his ears and said, 'I hate this song! Turn it off!'" she shared.

In a 2005 appearance on "Conan," Witherspoon revealed that Phillippe was prone to temper tantrums during his terrible twos. As an example, she described how he responded when she told him that she had to leave their hotel to do her interview with Conan O'Brien. "He went, 'Nyah!' And he threw his truck at me," the mother of two recalled.

The actor recounted how Ava Phillippe then tried to play peacemaker, explaining to her younger brother why he needed to be on his best behavior. "Ava goes, 'Now, Deacon ... Mommy has to go to work so she can make money so she can pay the bills so you can keep your pillow and your blanket,'" Witherspoon said. Hey, at least Ava didn't tell her baby bro that he was in danger of losing his vehicular projectile for good if he didn't stop his tantrums.

By 2007, Deacon Phillippe was already joining dad Ryan Phillippe on his movie sets. He even got to borrow a piece of Ryan's "Stop-Loss" wardrobe, a camo-print bucket hat, during a break from filming on set. But apparently, the experience didn't make Deacon want to be just like his dad. According to Reese Witherspoon, her son's career aspiration at age 4 was to someday get paid to deliver pizza.

"Not that there is anything wrong with that but it's hard to see how it could be a career as such," Witherspoon told Express in 2007. "My daughter wants to be a scientist but they are both at the stage where it changes from one week to the next."

It turns out that Pizza Hut found out about Witherspoon's interview and saw it as a delicious marketing opportunity. The company drafted a letter offering Deacon his dream job and got some free advertising by sharing it with entertainment news outlets, including Just Jared. "The same Pizza Hut drivers who deliver hot, fresh pizzas to your door have gone on to become successful businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and, yes, even actors," it read in part. The letter also promised Deacon that he would receive some swag to help him prepare for his future, including a toddler-sized car to make deliveries in, a Pizza Hut employee uniform, and gift cards for the restaurant.

Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon initiated divorce proceedings in 2006, and they soon found love with other actors; Phillippe with his "Stop-Loss" castmate, Abbie Cornish, and Reese with her "Rendition" co-star, Jake Gyllenhaal. They eventually introduced their children to their new famous partners, and it seems that Deacon Phillippe spent time with and took a liking to them both.

Deacon was photographed sitting on Gyllenhaal's shoulders during a 2008 family hike in Malibu, and People reported that the two were spied walking hand-in-hand during an outing to grab some pastries and java for breakfast. Deacon even befriended Gyllenhaal's mom, Naomi Foner; According to Just Jared, the pair jogged together during a 5K race in Martha's Vineyard. As for Cornish, she reportedly spent Thanksgiving with Ryan and his kids in 2008. She was also photographed with Ryan at one of Deacon's baseball games the following year. The busy 4-year-old reportedly attended football camp in 2008 and was also photographed at soccer practice that year.

In October 2010, Deacon Phillippe was spotted hobbling around on crutches with his mom and the new man in her life, Hollywood talent scout Jim Toth. The Daily Mail speculated that his involvement in sports was to blame for his injury, but this was unconfirmed. Thanks to Ava Phillippe, what we do know is that Deacon handled having to wear a cast on his leg like a champ, as she was among the friends and loved ones who scribbled a message on the orange plaster. "To the toughest 1st grader ever! [heart] Ava," it read.

Deacon appeared to be all healed up when he joined his mom for her Hollywood Walk of Fame induction ceremony that December. He and Ava both got on their knees beside Reese Witherspoon to pose for photos with her gleaming new star. During her speech, Witherspoon shared Deacon and Ava's previous reaction to learning that she hadn't been offered a spot on the famed sidewalk yet. "They said, 'Well, they better hurry up while you're still alive [so] you can still enjoy it,'" she recalled.

While the siblings clearly had a sassy side, Ryan Phillippe praised them for being perfect little angels. "My kids are so well-behaved," he said in a 2010 "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" appearance. "I haven't had to raise my voice to them in four or five years." He also spoke about then-6-year-old Deacon playing flag football. "It gets surprisingly intense," he marveled.

Jim Toth proved that he was stepdad material by attending several of Deacon Phillippe's sporting events in 2010. That included a May 2010 soccer match, after which a spectator recalled to People, "Deacon came running over to Reese and Jim and they both looked very proud." That April, Toth was photographed helpfully carrying a pop-up soccer goal out to the car after shopping with Reese Witherspoon and the kids.

All signs were pointing to Toth gearing up to be a part of Deacon and Ava Phillippe's lives for a long time, and in December 2010, he and Witherspoon announced their engagement. At the couple's April 2011 wedding, Deacon served as the ring bearer. "The kids were included in everything. It was very sweet," an attendee told People (via the Daily Mail). "They were super excited to be part of their mom's day."

In a September 2011 interview with Marie Claire, Witherspoon recalled someone telling her that she would never find a romantic partner who would be comfortable with her having kids, and she felt that she proved this naysayer wrong. "I got very lucky, and he's wonderful. And so wonderful with the children," she gushed. In his new role as an official stepfather, Toth was spotted tossing a football around with Deacon on a Malibu beach. Deacon's love of sports also brought his parents together; Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe were photographed standing near each other at a June 2011 soccer game.

In a 2018 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Reese Witherspoon said that Deacon and Ava Phillippe had zero interest in watching their parents play lovers in the 1999 twisted teen drama "Cruel Intentions." However, she and Ryan Phillippe did take their kids on a mini-tour of some of the movie's filming locations in Central Park. "We were with Ava and Deacon talking, and they were tripping out on the fact that we were there shooting a movie before they were even a thought in our minds," Ryan recalled on HuffPost Live (via Extra) in 2014.

That same year, Witherspoon revealed that her son was starting to get embarrassed by her behavior. However, Deacon's maternal mortification was unrelated to her movie career. "We were driving in the car and I had my coffee cup there, and he said, 'Ugh! The lipstick on your coffee cup is so embarrassing,'" Witherspoon recalled on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." If that's the most embarrassing behavior the then-11-year-old had to endure from a parent, we would argue that he was one lucky tween. Witherspoon also complained that Deacon wouldn't allow her to take pictures of him anymore. But in 2013, he did let his dad share a photo of a sweet father-son moment on Instagram: Ryan giving him a haircut with electric clippers.

As a tween and young teen, Deacon Phillippe loved spending time with his dad. Ryan Phillippe posted an Instagram photo of him and Deacon hanging out inside the cockpit of a plane in 2015. A year later, Ryan told Delaware Online that his son had become rather fond of his father's home state. "I sometimes feel like Deacon wants to move to Delaware when he gets out of school or something. It makes me so happy," he shared.

Ryan explained in a previous interview with Delaware Online in 2015 why Deacon and his sister enjoy visiting the Diamond State so much. "It's simpler in a way. Los Angeles is so chaotic and they deal with a lot of weirdness being children of celebrities with their photos in magazines and all that stuff," he said. "But when we are back home and they are with their cousins, it's comforting. I can tell."

Deacon also has a soft spot in his heart for Tennessee; his younger sibling, not the state. He became an older brother when Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth welcomed Tennessee Toth in 2012, and he soon developed a close bond with his baby bro. In 2015, Witherspoon posted a since-deleted Instagram pic of the two brothers hugging and captioned it, "Someone is really excited his brother is home from camp!"

In 2016, Deacon Phillippe graduated from elementary school, turned 13 years old, and went on an epic adventure with his mom. The two jetted off to the wilderness of British Columbia, and Reese Witherspoon chronicled their special mother-son camping trip on social media. They had to cross a shallow river while they were horseback riding and even encountered a bear that had seemingly caught its supper in the water. Witherspoon kept fans updated via Snapchat, which used to play an important role in her relationship with Phillippe. "I have two teenagers, and I've discovered that they will Snapchat me back, but they will not call me back," she said during a 2016 "Today" appearance.

While Phillippe was growing up fast and engaging in the type of typical teen behavior that parents find so frustrating, he still had a special bond with his mom. He and Ava Phillippe were spotted jogging with Witherspoon in 2016, and apparently, he hadn't outgrown one of his family's special Christmas traditions. That December, Witherspoon spoke to People about what the holidays are like in her household. "Gingerbread houses, and we have to have Advent calendars ... I forgot the Advent calendars this year, and Deacon was like, 'Mom! Where are they?!' I didn't realize how important they were to him!"

Deacon Phillippe turned 14 in 2017 and received a sweet birthday shoutout from his sister. "Congrats on being way cooler at 14 than I am at 18. I'm so lucky to have you around," Ava Phillippe wrote on Instagram. "Love you so much, and I hope you have an awesome day!" Her post included a throwback photo of her smiling and holding her brother when he was just a wee one.

That same year, Deacon went on another Canadian adventure with his mom. On "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Reese Witherspoon revealed that they had decided to make camping together an annual affair, and their 2017 trip was an eventful one. She told Ellen DeGeneres that her son was keen on going kayaking, an activity she was reluctant about doing. However, their guide assured her that it was impossible to roll their kayak in the freezing water.

"What did I do five minutes into it? Rolled us right into the water," she recalled during the segment. Witherspoon explained that their small vessel had hit a tree, which she proceeded to grab onto. This action caused the kayak to capsize. "[I] started screaming, 'Help, Deacon, help!'" said Witherspoon. "But it was really funny." Luckily for Deacon, some of the other activities he and his parents did together that year didn't put him in danger of getting drenched, such as cheering for the Philadelphia Eagles with his dad and attending a Los Angeles Clippers game with his mom.

In a 2019 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Reese Witherspoon revealed she was teaching Deacon Phillippe how to drive. However, she admitted that she probably wasn't the best driving instructor. "He's a good driver. He's actually a better driver than I am," she shared. "I get distracted a lot because I see cute dogs." Then, Phillippe got to put his own teaching skills to the test when his mom tasked him with schooling her about all things TikTok.

Some teens would die of embarrassment if their parents decided to create an account on the app, but Phillippe sweetly encouraged his mom to join TikTok in a video that Witherspoon shared on Instagram. He did, however, say the word, "No," a lot while she was attempting to show off some of her best dance moves. Phillippe patiently did two TikTok dances with his mom, the "Woah" and the "Milly Rock." Witherspoon was then able to teach Jimmy Fallon how to hit the woah when she appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," and it turns out that Phillippe's driving lessons could have doubled as a TikTok class. "It's like you're driving a car," Witherspoon explained while trying to nail the dance move.

Proving that Witherspoon isn't the only hip and happening parent, Ryan Phillippe took Deacon to the Firefly Music Festival in 2019. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Ryan revealed that two of the acts they enjoyed watching together were Travis Scott and Brockhampton.

At age 16, Deacon Phillippe made his relationship Instagram official by sharing a birthday tribute to his girlfriend, Marine Degryse. "Happy birthday to the most amazing girl I know," Deacon captioned a since-deleted April 2020 post. "I love you more every day." In the comments section, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe let the world know that Marine had earned their parental seal of approval by joining their son in wishing her a happy birthday. Witherspoon even described her as a "sweet girl."

The following year, Deacon and Degryse joined his sister, Ava Phillippe, and her beau, Owen Mahoney, on a sun-soaked getaway, further proving that their relationship was getting pretty serious. Deacon shared a photo of himself and his girlfriend posing together on the beach and captioned it, "I'm so lucky man." He also gushed over his girlfriend in a 2021 Valentine's Day post on his Instagram story, writing, "I love you more than anything. You make me so happy." The couple attended homecoming together and celebrated their second anniversary that same year. But alas, it seems that their young love didn't last — all traces of Degryse have since been wiped from Deacon's Instagram page.

Reese Witherspoon got to play one of her most important roles in 2020: proud mom. At age 17, Deacon Phillippe decided to pursue a career as a music producer, and he teamed up with vocalist Nina Nesbitt for his first single, "Long Run." When he dropped the track, Witherspoon assumed the role of her son's hype woman. "It's the perfect summer bop with a sick beat and dope drops (is that what the kids say?!)," she wrote on Instagram. Phillippe also worked with some pretty big names for his second release, "Love For the Summer." It was penned by country music superstar Kelsea Ballerini and performed by social media influencer Loren Gray.

Deacon's decision to enter the music business earned him an interview with Billboard, in which he revealed that he learned how to create EDM beats via YouTube, and that he was making the most of the COVID-19 lockdown by expanding his musical horizons. "I've been using this time to perfect my skills and work on mastering a lot of production stuff," he said. "I learned to DJ, which is quite a process, and I also started learning the ukulele."

Interestingly, he revealed that one of his biggest musical inspirations was the man whose biopic earned Witherspoon her Oscar: Johnny Cash. Phillippe also shared that his supportive mom was letting him record music at her house, and he told Interview that his dad had taught him a few music production basics.

In 2021, Hollywood icon Diane Keaton paid Deacon Phillippe a pretty incredible compliment by mistaking him for "Titanic" heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio. She was narrating an Instagram tribute to "male beauty" that opened with a black-and-white closeup of Phillippe's face. "Talk about beauty, Leonardo DiCaprio," Keaton gushed. "Give me a break. I knew him when he was a kid." While Deacon did look remarkably like DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon immediately recognized her son's smize and set Keaton straight. "Diane, the first one is my son!" she wrote, punctuating her comment with a heart-eye emoji. Keaton replied with a trio of flushed-face emoji.

The "Annie Hall" star later addressed her error on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." After admiring the photo of Phillippe again, she said, "Whoops! But look at him. I mean, that's gorgeous ... How old is he now?" Ellen DeGeneres quipped, "Too young for you."

To answer Keaton's question, he turned 18 years old in 2021. On his birthday, Ryan Phillippe posted some Instagram pics that would help fans better decide which parent Deacon takes after the most. He was seated between Witherspoon and Ryan, who told E! News that he thinks Deacon looks more like his mother than his father. In her birthday tribute, Witherspoon wrote, "One day he was trading Pokémon cards, singing Bruno Mars songs, and playing American Ninja Warrior in the backyard. The next day, he is taller than me, cooking the family steaks on the grill."

Deacon Phillippe joined the family business in 2022 when Mindy Kaling offered him the opportunity to appear in the Netflix series she was executive producing at the time, "Never Have I Ever." Reese Witherspoon had mentioned to Kaling that Phillippe wanted to give acting a shot, and in a serendipitous stroke of luck, there was a guest-starring role available that he seemed well-suited for.

"He's obviously so talented and he's great-looking, and we just thought he would be great and he was excited to come and do it," Kaling told Variety. "He's just such a well-raised kid. He's so talented, he's so funny and fit in perfectly with the cast." In another interview with E! News, Kaling praised him for having excellent manners and possessing the same warmth as his mother.

While the show's co-creator Lang Fisher told Entertainment Weekly that Phillippe did an excellent job with his first-ever acting gig, the teen's proud dad seemed pretty certain that he wasn't going to start pursuing acting as a full-time career in the near future. "He's about to go to college for music," Ryan Phillippe told ET. "That's his primary focus." He also shared that Deacon had completed a mixtape that he was planning to release. "It's incredible," he gushed. "I'm so excited for people to hear. It's really good stuff."

When Deacon Phillippe started school at New York University, he was originally getting the average college student experience by living in a dorm room with roommates. He even recorded his first album, "A New Earth," in the cramped space. "That was one of the most challenging things I ever did," he told People.

For his second year at school, he and some pals moved into a posh Manhattan apartment. Phillippe gave TikToker Caleb Simpson a tour of his new living space, which boasted a high cathedral ceiling, spiral staircase, exposed brick walls, and tall windows that let in plenty of natural light. The guys had used a collection of vinyl records as wall art, which was given prime placement next to their impressive entertainment system. In response to the video, some commenters called Deacon a "nepo baby" and suggested that he was living on his parents' dime.

But it might be hard for the haters to make Phillippe feel any shame for his parental game; He has even taken advice from Reese Witherspoon when it comes to his social media posts. "My mom told me to take pics in this shirt," he captioned an August 2023 Instagram carousel. He also praised his parents during a gig at Hollywood's The Vermont. "Man, I love my family," he told Daily Express US. "I wouldn't have it any other way, I'm so blessed."