Overview

• On The New York Times' The Interview on Sept. 20, Witherspoon said exiting a past abusive relationship left her feeling "diminished" and required her to "rewire" her brain.
• She did not identify the ex; in a 2018 conversation with Oprah Winfrey, she said the relationship was psychologically and verbally abusive and that leaving was transformative.
• Witherspoon said living in the public eye makes privacy "nearly impossible," criticizing paparazzi for dehumanizing her and targeting her children.
• After more than 25 years of motherhood, she said she is "exhausted" and parents her 12-year-old son Tennessee more loosely, often directing him to call his older siblings when she loses her cool.
• She recalled being warned early in her career not to play mothers because it would "make you seem old," noting that young parenthood limited some roles, and entertainment outlets report she is dating German financier Oliver Haarmann.