Reese Witherspoon reveals youngest son doesn't call her 'mom' but a quirky nickname instead | HELLO! (2025)

Reese Witherspoon is a mother to three children, but only two of them call her that.

The Legally Blonde actress, 49, revealed that her youngest son, Tennessee, 12, prefers a quirky nickname for her instead of calling her 'mom'.

Taking part in a social media trend on Wednesday, which involves listing the names different people call her, Reese revealed that only her eldest children, Ava, 25, and Deacon, 21, refer to her as "mama".

Admitting she is unsure why Tennessee has adopted a different moniker, she revealed that he prefers to call her "Morty", adding: "No clue why."

Reese also shared that her friends know her as "R Dubs", her mother calls her "Ladybug", she is "Pieces" to her high school friends, "Miss Reese" to her friends' children, and "Laura Jeanne" to the government, referring to her real name, Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.

Reese shares her youngest son with her ex-husband, Jim Toth. The former couple announced their separation after 12 years of marriage in March 2023 and finalised their divorce that August.

Divorce

Sharing a statement at the time, they said: "We have some personal news to share... 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.

"Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter," they added. "These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone's respect for our family's privacy at this time."

Four months after their split, Reese opened up about the differences between her recent split and her divorce from her first husband, Ryan Phillippe, whom she split from in 2006.

"It's interesting what happened to me. When I was divorced before, the tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control," she told Harper's Bazaar.

"To be able to talk to people directly about what's going on in my life and just share it in the way that I share great professional experiences or personal experiences, it feels much more authentic to be able to say things in my own voice and not let somebody else control what's happening."

She added: "Then, of course, there's speculation, but I can't control that. All I can do is be my most honest, forthright self and be vulnerable. It's a vulnerable time for me."

Reese also shared how she felt after revealing her divorce news to fans: "I think about how many other people are going through this experience. I don't feel isolated at all. I feel very connected."

But Reese has learned not to worry about other people's opinions of her. "I think you start to realize there's a finite amount of time that you have to accomplish what you want to accomplish in this world and that worrying about other people's opinions of you is a waste of your precious time," she said.