The recent comments made about how Reese Witherspoon’s son is her “twin” are not the first time the young music star has sparked such a reaction.
Yesterday, on October 23, the son of Hollywood stars Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe turned 21, and his mom took to Instagram with a birthday tribute. Reese shared two photos of her and Deacon Phillippe that had fans marveling at their resemblance. This comes after the duo gushed over their bond at the Golden Globes earlier this year (2024).
Fan comment about Deacon Phillippe, posted on October 23, 2024 | Source: Instagram/reesewitherspoon
Highlighting their heartwarming mother-son relationship, Reese’s first throwback photo showed her sitting beside a young Deacon, who, like his mom, showed off his pearly whites for the camera.
Her second image displayed the pair again, but this one was a more recent photo showing Deacon as he is now. The duo beamed with happiness as they posed for the snap against the tranquil backdrop of an ocean.
Reese Witherspoon and Deacon Phillippe posing for a picture, posted on October 23, 2024 | Source: Instagram/reesewitherspoon
“Can’t believe that this amazing young man is turning 21!! Happy birthday, @deaconphillippe 🤍You came into my life to bring me joy, wisdom, and so much love 🥰 you light up my life with your beautiful spirit! I love you so much. 💙,” captioned the proud mom alongside the pics.
Reese’s followers were quick to flood the comment section with messages expressing how similar the star and her son look. “❤️ Still just as handsome as ever! And still looks a lot like his mama,” marveled an admirer, while another echoed, “Your twin! 🎈🎂.”
Reese Witherspoon and Deacon Phillippe at the premiere of “Blink Twice” in Los Angeles, California on August 8, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
Bringing Reese’s daughter Ava Phillippe into the mix, an observer opined, “I don’t care what they say… Deacon is way more of the spitting image of you than Ava. HBD 🎉.” “He’s your male doppelgänger! The genes are strong in these 2!” exclaimed someone else.
Deacon and Ava Phillippe with Reese Witherspoon. | Source: Getty Images
More resemblance comments ensued with an Instagrammer expressing, “OMG. He’s your clone!!! Handsome young man. Happy birthday to him!” “He has your entire face 😁🥰🥰,” added another.
Focusing on a specific physical feature while wishing Deacon well on his special day, a fan noted, “Got his momma’s smile. Happiest of birthdays Deacon!🥳.”
Reese Witherspoon and Deacon Phillippe. | Source: Getty Images
More than simply sharing looks, the “Big Little Lies” talent and Deacon share a close relationship as mother and son.
In January (2024), Reese brought Deacon, who was on break from college, along with her to the prestigious Golden Globe Awards as her date. While on the red carpet, the two spoke briefly with ET’s Kevin Frazier.
Reese Witherspoon and Deacon Phillippe chatting with ET’s Kevin Frazier at the Golden Globes, posted on January 8, 2024 | Source: YouTube/Entertainment Tonight
After comparing his experience accompanying his mom to industry events as a little boy versus now that he is older, Deacon shared, “Honestly, the best part about it is spending time with my mom. It’s all cool, but as much time as I can get to spend with her is, you know, better.”
When Kevin asked Reese how she feels about watching her son grow, the doting mom swooned, “Well, he makes me really proud. He’s a genuinely curious, intelligent young guy, and we’re just so excited to get our little time to spend together.”
During the interview, Reese also spoke about her popular series “The Morning Show.” After discussing her role and filming the series, the media outlet reporter asked Deacon if he watches the show, which sparked a bit of laughter among the trio as Deacon gathered his thoughts to respond.
“I’m very busy with school and stuff. However, whenever I’m home and I’m — I do like to — I try to watch it as much as possible, and I don’t know, I like watching a lot of her movies and stuff, it’s just I can’t watch every single one because there’s a lot of them,” answered the 21-year-old.
Comical banter ensued after Deacon gave his response, with his mom quipping, “I always tell ’em, ‘When in doubt, just say, ‘I love the finale!'”
Aside from busying himself with his studies, Deacon also makes music. In April 2023, he announced the release of his debut album “A New Earth,” which has 12 songs.
Deacon Phillippe’s track list for his album “A New Earth,” posted on April 14, 2023 | Source: Instagram/deaconphillippe
“Wow. I don’t know what to say right now, how to sum up exactly what went into this [sic] and what it means to me. All I can say is that it came from pure love, for what I do and for the people that listen,” reads the beginning of the young artist’s caption.
Deacon went on to contextualize what his album is about, “This is a story of my life, our lives, and of love and life in general; it carries thoughts and emotions that I’ve accumulated, felt, observed, bottled up, and dealt with through the last 19 years of my life. It’s about learning to look through the lens of love.”
He also revealed that the album was made in collaboration with his college friends, and noted how creating the music showed him “that you don’t have to leave this planet to find A NEW EARTH.”
At the end of his lengthy message, he spotlighted the person who helped create the cover art, and the individual who mastered the songs and gave thanks to his family and God.
In the same year that Deacon shared the exciting news about his album debut (2023), his mom posted an Instagram carousel, which showed a snippet of Deacon performing live on stage.
Deacon Phillippe performing live on stage, posted on October 23, 2023 | Source: Instagram/reesewitherspoon
This video, which was featured alongside other photos of the artist, was part of a birthday tribute Reese Witherspoon shared when Deacon Phillippe turned 20 years old.
In the same way that netizens made recent comments about Deacon’s resemblance to his mom, social media users expressed similar sentiments in the comment section of Reese’s 2023 birthday post.
Deacon Phillippe posing for a picture, posted on October 23, 2023 | Source: Instagram/reesewitherspoon
Aside from video footage of his performance, Reese’s carousel included a standalone black-and-white picture of Deacon, a photo of him and his mom together, and one of him posing next to his dog. “☀️Actually not a boy, he is a 20 yr old man today! 🥰,” stated Reese in the birthday tribute caption.
Reese Witherspoon and Deacon Phillippe. | Source: Instagram/reesewitherspoon
The actress continued, “Deacon, you are such a ray of sunshine, love and positivity in this world. Keep shining that wonderful light on us all! I 💗you!”
Fans were amazed at how gorgeous Deacon looked in the pictures his mom shared, and were surprised to see that he looked just like Reese. “What a mini-Reese,” remarked a fan. Reiterating the sentiment, someone else commented, “Another mini Reese. Happy Birthday!”
Deacon Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California on January 7, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
“Beautiful young man,” praised an admirer, while another gushed, “Strong genes girl! Your kids are a carbon copy of you Reese. Beautiful young man!”.
Before releasing his debut album, the “beautiful young man” published his debut track, “Long Run,” in July 2020 when he was only 17. The song featured vocals by Nina Nesbitt and cracked the Top 20 on iTunes.
On October 30, 2023, Deacon released his second single, “Love For The Summer,” which was written by Kelsea Ballerina and features Loren Gray, who is a vocalist and TikTok star.
Regarding how he feels about his music career, Deacon is glad that he gets to do what he loves. He previously said his biggest support system is his mom, dad, brother, and sister, whom he plays his new music for before tracks are released.
