Over the weekend, Reese Witherspoon denied that there was any kind of drama between her and her “good friend” Kate Winslet, after she herself sparked speculation of a falling out between them by going on and on in an interview about a famous actress who stopped talked to her after she botched an awards ceremony tribute.
In fact, Witherspoon seemed to tell her fans that they were to blame for trying to pinpoint Winslet as the famous actress by writing on Instagram Stories Saturday, as People reported. “Hey guys… just spoke to my very dear friend for years, Kate W. We laughed about this stupidity,” she wrote.
Yes, the “Legally Blonde” appeared to suggest to fans that they were being “stupid” and “silly” to even speculate on something that was so “UNTRUE,” as she emphasized in full caps. “Please do not believe the internet,” Witherspoon said. “We are good friends and have never had any falling out.” The story is no longer available on Instagram.
But fans pointed out that Witherspoon started all the brouhaha herself by elaborating in an interview with People last week that she had accidentally ruined a friendship with a “serious, proper actress” by saying bawdy things about her while introducing her at a “classy” British awards ceremony.
“It literally haunts me,” Witherspoon said in the joint interview with Will Ferrell to promote their new romantic comedy, “You’re Cordially Invited,” according to People.
“So this friend of mine, who I didn’t really know that well, but she was a very serious, proper actress, she asked me to give her an award,” Witherspoon continued, without naming the actress. “But I had never been to this award ceremony, so I thought it was like a roast. So I got up, and I roasted her.”
Witherspoon revealed that the event was “British,” “elegant” and “classy” and that she got the tone completely wrong by cracking jokes in her speech. “I was like, ‘Remember the time we got laser hair removal?’”
For this and other crass remarks, Witherspoon said the unnamed actress stopped talking to her. “We’re not friends anymore. I’m not even kidding — we’re not friends anymore” she said with a laugh. “I think she doesn’t like me anymore. I thought it was so funny and it was just, I had the wrong audience. It was pretty bad. Yeah. Not even kidding, she doesn’t talk to me anymore. Oh well.”
But because Witherspoon didn’t name the actress, she, of course, sent movie fans sleuthing through her career to theorize on the identity of the A-list thespian whom she so deeply offended. It wasn’t that difficult for fans to conclude that the actor probably was Winslet.
Witherspoon once honored the “Titanic” star on stage at the BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Awards in November 2007. Winslet was receiving an Artist of the Year award from the Los Angeles branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). A transcript of Witherspoon’s speech about Winslet was preserved on a fan website, and it included a a possible reference to laser hair removal and the Oscar winner saying she couldn’t tell her most personal stories about Winslet because “they’re all too bawdy or tawdry or drunken to tell,” including the “really funny thing that happened when they were both in their underwear.”
Since that speech, Witherspoon and Winslet have appeared together in public, notably at the eighth Academy Awards in 2016 to jointly introduce two films that were nominated that year for best picture. They were photographed looking friendly together and exchanging hugs.
If Witherspoon and Winslet never had a falling out, fans may be left to speculate on whether there’s another A-list star who stopped speaking to Witherspoon — or whether the “Big Little Lies” star was just making up the story about losing either Winslet or some other mystery actress as a friend. Perhaps, she also felt forced to do a bit of damage control for her story.
In any case, people commenting on the People magazine story about Witherspoon’s denial thought she was being “nutty” and were not inclined to let her off the hook for her role in the Winslet drama. “No one would be speculating if she hadn’t brought up the subject,” one person said. “She’s been a celebrity too long not to know some people would investigate.”
