Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth shocked fans last week when they announced the end of their marriage.
The actress, 47, and the actor, 42, had hidden their marital problems before sharing theirs ‘difficult decision’ to divorce just days before their 12th wedding anniversary.
In a joint statement, they announced they had “enjoyed so many wonderful years together” and said they would “move forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for all that we have created together.”
While the announcement came as a surprise, it was writing on the wall for the couple – who share a son Tennessee James, 10 – with rumors of a hectic lifestyle and a midlife crisis behind their divorce.
Now MailOnline looks at what caused the end of Hollywood’s seemingly perfect unions.
Inside Reese Witherspoon’s divorce from Jim Toth: How the actress’ ‘busy schedule’ and her husband’s ‘midlife crisis’ played a role in their divorce (pictured in 2017)
A midlife crisis
One of the causes of their split would be because Jim is “no longer the same man” Reese married.
An alleged friend of the couple explained how he “dressed up like someone half his age” with “weird jewelry and tattoos.”
The friend explained The American sun: ‘Jim is the one who has changed a lot in recent years. Jim just isn’t the man Reese married and had a son with anymore.”
Reese and Jim sold their production company Hello Sunshine in 2021 for nearly $1 billion, with the money sending them “in different directions.”
They added, “His personality, his attitude and his whole outlook on life really changed when he got out of the staffing industry and decided he was tired of that stuffy world and working in the service industry in general.”
“Call it a midlife crisis if you will, but that’s when the tattoos, the chunky, weird jewelry, and dressing like someone half her age really got popular.”
The friend added that the exes will continue to co-parent their son, something Reese has experience with as she also shares two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.
Busy schedules leading to ‘separate lives’
Reese and Jim Toth reportedly lived apart for months before their divorce, which was reportedly fueled by the actress’ busy schedule.
The Legally Blonde star has a reputation as one of the most in-demand women in Hollywood, but this is said to have caused the pair to “spend days without interaction.”
Insiders revealed to RadarOnline that the couple would reportedly only speak to talk about their family, while Jim would consistently miss important events in her life.
Friends of the actress revealed that his behavior had “raised eyebrows” long before they broke up.
“Jim is hardly ever with her,” a source told the outlet. ‘It’s always like that’.
Happier times: While the announcement came as a surprise, it was writing on the wall for the couple with rumors of hectic lifestyles and a midlife crisis behind their divorce (pictured in 2015)
Going solo: Reese has a reputation for being one of the most in-demand women in Hollywood, but this is said to have caused the pair to “spend days without interaction” (2020 photo)
They fell out of love
Despite saying they enjoyed “many wonderful years together” when announcing their split, insiders claimed the marriage had steadily gone platonic.
“There’s no major scandal or drama, just two people who have basically become co-parents and no longer have romantic feelings for each other,” a source told me. Page Six.
They added that the Oscar-winning actress “once enjoyed the fact that (Jim) was just a solid, reliable and stable guy,” which she found herself drawn to after “years of having sex with her first husband Ryan Phillippe.”
A source told People magazine after news was announced that Reese and Jim’s divorce was “amicable.”
“They really are the best of friends and this is such an amicable decision. They are so committed to co-parenting together. They invest in their whole family and make this as smooth as possible for everyone,” the insider said.
Fighting for a lost cause
An insider revealed to Us Weekly that Reese “never wanted her marriage to end, but it’s no secret this has been brewing for a while.”
Over time, their relationship migrated from romantic to platonic, and they eventually called it quits.
The source went on to say that the ultimate reason for their split was that they became distant.
According to the insider, the couple had a “very healthy relationship” and “lots of great times together.”
Despite all this, “like many couples, they grew apart.”
Get their finances in order
That’s what an insider told me USA weekly in 2021, the couple had been quietly liquidating their joint assets for a few years before taking the final step to dissolve their marriage.
“They decided their marriage wouldn’t last forever and they needed to have a plan to split their wealth that wouldn’t destroy what they had built together,” the source told media at the time.
Reese sold a large portion of her production company Hello Sunshine in August 2021 for $900 million. Jim was one of the founding board members.
Reese reportedly retained a stake in the company and continues to work for Hello Sunshine as a producer on several projects, including Where the Crawdads Sing and the Prime series Daisy Jones and the Six.
“Instead of having to break up a huge company with dozens of employees and several divisions, they have a big pile of cash — and there’s enough for everyone,” the insider explained.
The pair have reportedly sold several of their homes, including a Malibu ranch in 2020, an English country-style mansion in Los Angeles, and a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in Nashville.
A separate property in Malibu believed to be theirs is up for sale Redfinfor $8 million.
The Your Place or Mine star is continuing with new projects.
Three months ago: Reese shared snaps with Jim and their son Tennessee James, 10 in December 2022, as they enjoyed Christmas time with their family
Keep up appearances
While the writing may have been on the wall for a while, Reese and Jim kept their marital problems out of the public eye.
The Oscar-winning actress shared snaps with Jim in December 2022 as they enjoyed Christmas time with their family.
In July 2022, Reese shared photos on Instagram of herself with Jim celebrating his birthday, captioning the set, “Happy Birthday to my lovely husband, JT!”
Don’t know anyone who loves Tour de France / cycling / @arsenal / @nashvillesc / @steelers …. oh and GOLF … basically all sports more than YOU. Love you a lot!’
She also celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary last year in March 2022 on Instagram: ‘Happy Anniversary JT!! 11 years full of adventures, love and laughter. I feel so lucky to share this wonderful life with you.”