Reese Witherspoon is using self-isolation to reflect one of her most regrettable (and very public) mistakes during her three decades in the spotlight.
During an appearance on Jameela Jamil’s podcast, I Weigh, the actress opened up about the moment she was arrested for disorderly conduct, after her husband, Jim Toth, was pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving in Atlanta, Georgia in 2013. The entire incident was captured on a dashcam, with Witherspoon defying the police officer’s orders to stay inside the car, asking him if he knew who she was, and lying about being pregnant.
After the incident, Witherspoon apologised on national TV, telling the audience of Good Morning America: “It’s just completely unacceptable and we are so sorry and embarrassed and we know better and we shouldn’t have done that.”
Now, seven years later, Jamil is commending Witherspoon for her “fucking refreshing” ownership of actions. “You apologised and shamed yourself in a way that was so fucking refreshing to me,” she said. “I loved your apology.”
“But I did something really stupid,” the 44-year-old replied, adding: “It was so embarrassing and dumb. But, you know what — [it] turns out I breathe air. I bleed the same way. I make dumb decisions. I make great decisions. I’m just a human being. We’re all just the same as each other and we’re all trying to find what our special skills are.”
She continued, “My special skill is storytelling but that doesn’t mean I’m a special person. Talent doesn’t make you a good person. But a big value in my family was, ‘Are you a good person?’”
Witherspoon pleaded no contest to her charge and paid a $213 fine, while Toth performed 40 hours of community service and attended an alcohol education program for his DUI.
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