Time sure does fly for everyone, including famous A-listers. As we all know, Ryan Phillippe met Reese Witherspoon when they were in their early twenties. They fell in love and subsequently worked on one of the best ’90s teen movies, Cruel Intentions. From their time as a couple, they had two kids (Ava and Deacon) who are now in their 20s (which is hard to believe). Phillippe recently emphasized how old his kids are getting too by sharing a story about visiting his college-aged son at college that most parents can relate to.
The I Know What You Did Last Summer alum stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show to chat about his project on the 2025 TV schedule, Motorheads. In the show, which you can stream with a Prime subscription, his 21-year-old son, Deacon, plays his brother in flashbacks. However, alongside that, he is also a student at NYU, and Phillippe shared an all too real monetary experience of visiting his kid on campus, saying:
What I’ve realized is that college students who live in expensive cities really love it when their parents come to town. Um, and so do their friends, you know, because that means a-a free meal or two and maybe an event of some kind that they can’t afford.
Any parent could’ve sniffed this anecdote out from a mile away. We’ve seen it in movies and television, and as kids start hitting those more independent milestones (cellphones, cars, etc) in real life. Thankfully, I’ve still got a handful of years before any of these antics start knocking at my door.
For The Lincoln Lawyer actor and his ex, though, the times are changing, as their son continues his education and Witherspoon looks into buying a place in NYC to be closer to her NYU student.
I know that I pulled the same stunts on my parents after moving to college, even in a tiny country town. Knowing there was that extra cushion from mom and dad on almost anything was pretty great. Now, I’m shaking my head at those decisions and wonder how it’ll get spun on me. Let’s just say it’s a combo deal of an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex (students) and a mentality of “so thrilled to spend time with your student, you can’t see straight” (parental figures).
While Deacon is on set, studying, and still leveraging his parents, Ava, who’s a mini-me of her dad, Phillippe, also just made her television debut. She cameoed on Doctor Odyssey, and Witherspoon celebrated AP’s first TV stint, which made a small homage to Elle Woods and Legally Blonde. Needless to say, the talent runs deep in this family, in all sorts of ways, including securing the financial perks when parents are visiting.
Let’s just hope this fun rite of passage for Deacon (and his friends) stays at college. It seems he won’t be turning to Phillippe or Witherspoon for a regular supply like Lena Dunham’s Hannah Horvath in Girls anytime soon.