Reese Witherspoon sparked a buzz on Instagram on Sunday after sharing a striking photo with her lookalike daughter Ava Phillippe. The 49-year-old actress posted a carousel of Christmas snaps with family and friends, including one with her eldest child, whom Reese shares with her 51-year-old ex-husband, actor Ryan Phillippe.
Reese and actress Ava, 26, were twinning in black and silver outfits as the mother-daughter duo smiled brightly for the camera. She captioned the post simply: “Making Merry.” The Morning Show star’s followers quickly flooded the comments section, pointing out just how much Reese and Ava resemble one another.
Podcast host Dax Shepard, 50, wrote, “Holy Doppelganger!!!!!” while influencer Peyton Baxter added, “Woah I had to double take bc I didn’t know which one was you! So beautiful, both of you.” One fan echoed the sentiment, commenting, “Your girl it’s a carbon copy of you!!!! Merry Christmas.”
The photo carousel also included a mirror selfie of Reese with her eldest son Deacon Phillippe, 22, whom she also shares with Ryan. Reese’s youngest child, son Tennessee Toth, 13, whom she has with her 55-year-old ex-husband, former talent agent Jim Toth, also appeared in the festive snaps. Big Little Lies co-star Laura Dern, 58, joined in as well, posing for a joyful photo with the actress.
In September, Reese opened up about the advice she gave Ava as she followed in her mother’s footsteps by making her acting debut in the ABC medical drama Doctor Odyssey earlier this year. Appearing on an episode of The New York Times’ The Interview podcast, titled How Reese Witherspoon Figured Out Who She Really Is, she reflected on how different their paths have been.
“Well, it’s interesting because last year, she turned 25. And when I was 25, she was a year and a half old, and I’d just done Legally Blonde. And I was about to start Sweet Home Alabama. We are just living very different life existences, realities,” Reese said, adding that she is proud Ava has never tried to emulate her career. “I’m so proud of her for not being anything but herself. Not trying to emulate me or be me. Ava’s just cool. She’s just always been cool.”
Reese also spoke candidly about the emotional challenges of parenting an adult child, explaining, “Part of the challenge of being a mother of a 26-year-old woman is learning to back away, learning she doesn’t need me in the same ways, and that’s okay. And soothing my heart when I feel, like, rejected a little bit."
She continued "But it’s not a rejection. It’s actually her. People in my life remind me the alternative would be worse. If she was just so needy, needy, needy. She’s not needy like that. I’m just really proud of who she’s become as an individual.”