Ryan Phillippe has always remained devoted to his role as a father, even as he carefully guards the details of his private life.
Over the years, the actor has offered rare but tender glimpses into what parenting has meant to him, particularly when it comes to raising his two children with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, daughter Ava and son Deacon.
Ryan and Reese were one of Hollywood’s golden couples in the late nineties. They met at her 21st birthday party in 1997, starred together in Cruel Intentions, and tied the knot in 1999. That same year
For Reese, becoming a mother in her twenties was a defining moment. Speaking to Drew Barrymore in 2020, she described the early years of motherhood as “compromise after compromise,” but insisted the sacrifices were worth it. “It’s not movies or my job, it’s my kids,” she said. “You take the food out of your mouth, clothes off your back, the sleep out of your life. Every bit of that sacrifice is truly worth it.”
After her split from Ryan, Reese married talent agent Jim Toth in 2011 and gave birth to her third child, Tennessee, in 2012.
Ryan, meanwhile, went on to father a third child, Kai, with Pitch Perfect actress Alexis Knapp in 2011. Though no longer romantically linked, Alexis has said that Kai bears a striking resemblance to Ryan. “She looks like [him],” she said. “A lot more so now.”
© GettyRyan and Deacon
While Ryan has mostly kept his family life out of the limelight, he has occasionally shared his pride, especially when it comes to his children’s talents. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2022, Ryan beamed while discussing Deacon’s budding music career.
“He’s about to go to college for music. That’s his primary focus,” Ryan explained. “The acting thing he likes to do, and he will do according to what his appetite for it is, but the music, he’s actually dropping a mixtape this Friday. It’s incredible. I’m so excited for people to hear it.”
Ryan has also spoken about the resemblance between his kids and their parents. In a 2021 chat with E! News, he said, “Deacon actually looks a lot more like Reese’s side of the family. Ava looks more like mine.” He added that although people often assume Ava is her mother’s twin and Deacon is his, “we both feel differently about it.”
© Eric CharbonneauRyan and Ava
In a 2016 appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Ryan admitted that Ava finds it awkward when people confuse him for her brother. “She gets repulsed. It absolutely repulses her that anyone could mistake me for being her brother,” he said, laughing.
But despite the fond memories, recent reports have hinted at a strain between Ryan and Ava. According to the Daily Mail, the two have not been close for over two years. The reason is believed to be linked to past allegations made against Ryan by his ex-girlfriend Elsie Hewitt.
In 2017, Elsie filed a $1 million lawsuit against Ryan, accusing him of physical assault. At the time, Elsie was 21 and Ryan was 41. While Ryan denied the allegations and the legal proceedings concluded with a confidential settlement, the controversy reportedly affected his bond with Ava. Known for advocating women’s rights and mental health, Ava was said to be deeply disturbed by the claims.
This marks a stark contrast to the closeness the father-daughter duo once shared. In 2014, Ryan shared a heartfelt tribute to Ava on her 15th birthday, recalling how he rushed via helicopter from the set of The Way of the Gun to be by Reese’s side for the birth. “I made it with two hours to spare,” he wrote, adding, “15 years ago I learned what love truly is.”
In 2015, Ava posted her own touching message on Father’s Day, writing, “Happy Father’s Day to the most artistic, intelligent, versatile, and all-around awesome guy in my life. You’ve always loved and supported me in whatever weirdness that comes, and I am so lucky to have a dad like you.”
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