Reese Witherspoon and her husband Jim Toth have one of the strongest and yet most under-the-radar relationships in Hollywood. Reese met the talent agent eight years ago in 2010, and the two have been killing the power-couple game ever since then.
The Legally Blonde star is no stranger to high-profile relationships, having had several with other highly visible celebrities in the industry before meeting Jim. Reese was previously married to her Cruel Intentions costar Ryan Phillippe from 1999 to 2007. Although that relationship ran its course, it produced two gorgeous look-alike kids, daughter Ava and son Deacon. After her divorce, Reese went on to date Jake Gyllenhaal.
Three years after her divorce and about a year after her breakup with Jake, Reese met Jim at a party, and the rest, as they say, is history.
In honor of the couple's solid marriage, here's a look back at their history with all that we know about this low-key Hollywood power couple.
As the actress tells it, the two were at a party in 2010 when Jim's friend was drunkenly hitting on Reese. Jim stepped in to mediate the situation.
"Jim came over and said, 'Please excuse my friend. He's just broken up with someone.' Jim was a really good friend, pulling him out of that situation," Reese told Elle. "That's just kind of who he is, a really good person."
In this post-dating-app world, Jim and Reese's meet-cute feels like a moment straight out of one of her rom-coms.
"It happened out of the blue," she said of that fateful night.
They started dating in January 2010, and according to People, she reportedly introduced him to her girlfriends in March during a group trip to Ojai. Once her friends gave their seal of approval, she knew she could introduce him to her kids.
In May 2010, Reese introduced Jim to her children Ava and Deacon.
"She wants them to get to know him," a source told People at the time. "She thinks he’ll be a great influence. She definitely seems in love: She acts giddy around him. Everyone’s so happy for her.”
Though Jim is an agent at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and has repped clients like Matthew McConaughey and Robert Downey Jr., Reese found it refreshing to not be in a high-profile relationship with an A-list actor.
"She loves that he’s not a celebrity," added the source. "They’ve been left alone to get to know each other in a more private way."
The two wed in Ojai in March 2011 on the year anniversary of that initial friend vacation when their relationship began to get serious. The wedding took place at Reese's Ojai ranch, and they reportedly went for a rustic chic theme.
Despite their whirlwind road to the altar, Reese has said she was initially hesitant about getting married again. But Jim's love won out.
"Jim said, 'I’m gonna show you every day what a good partner is, what a good person is. I’m going to take care of you. I’m gonna do this so much that you’re gonna get used to it.' I was like, 'What are you talking about?' I’ve never had anybody like that in my life," she told Elle.
In September 2012, the couple had their first child together, a son named Tennessee James Toth. Young Tennessee joins his older half-siblings Ava and Deacon.
One of the things Reese loves most about her hubby is how great he is at parenting.
"He’s an incredible man, a wonderful organizer, a great leader," Reese told People. "He’s very patient and funny with the kids, and he really encourages them to see the humor in life.”
Jim is also reportedly the inspiration behind Reese's newfound success as a producer.
"He said, 'You should produce movies. You read more books than anybody I know. You should just buy some of them and turn them into films,'" she told Harper's Bazaar in 2016.
Her most recent project, Big Little Lies, is one of those book adaptations.
"Six years ago, I was lucky enough to marry this wonderful man. He makes me laugh everyday and supports me in everything I do. Happy anniversary, JT! Here's to many more!" she wrote on Instagram last year, in honor of their sixth wedding anniversary.
Now that they're in the swing of marriage and family life, Reese joked to People that her ideal date night is sleeping in.
"Going to a nice dinner and not having to wake up at the crack of dawn with the kids," she said in 2016. "That’s nice."
We've always thought of Reese as a strong-willed and confident woman, and she credits her husband with helping her unlock her ambition.
"I get a lot of support from my husband, who cares deeply about equality and always tells me, 'Why wouldn’t you call the person in charge of a company and have a personal relationship with them?' He’s encouraged me to be outspoken," she told Marie Claire in a February 2018 cover story.
We're sending all the best to this lovely couple!
