Ava Phillippe Reacts to Fan Comparisons with Famous Parents

Ava Phillippe recently addressed fan comparisons between her and her boyfriend, Dakota Brubaker, to her famous parents, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe.

The 25-year-old actress took to TikTok on Wednesday to respond to a comment that said, “It’s close enough. I’m welcome to Reese and Ryan.” In an entertaining video, Brubaker donned a black turtleneck and glasses similar to Ryan’s character, Sebastian Balmont, from the 1999 thriller “Cruel Intentions,” as he humorously reacted, “No.”

Ava wrote “whaaaattt” in the caption, injecting some light-heartedness into the conversation. She seemed to enjoy the comparison, pairing the video with a snippet of Verve’s 1997 track “Bittersweet Symphony”—a nod to a film directed by Roger Cumble, which featured her parents.

One commenter shared their disbelief, saying, “Now I can’t see it.” Another chimed in with, “I thought it was the same.” Ava seemed to confirm her relationship with Brubaker when she posted a sweet PDA photo on Instagram in December 2024, showing the couple sharing a moment in a photo booth.

It’s worth noting that Ryan and Witherspoon met at Reese’s 21st birthday party in 1997, and they both starred in “Cruel Intentions.” They married in June 1999, welcomed Ava in September of that same year, and later had a son, Deacon, in 2003. The couple separated in 2008.

Despite their breakup, Ryan and Reese appear to maintain a cordial co-parenting dynamic. Reese is also the mother of her 12-year-old son, Tennessee, from her marriage to Jim Toth, while Ryan shares a daughter, Kai, with Alexis Knapp.