A relative of The Morning Show star Reese Witherspoon was hospitalized after he was discovered “face down by a pool.”
Videos by Suggest
According to Page Six, Witherspoon’s father, Dr. John Witherspoon, was reportedly discovered near the pool of his Nashville-area condo. A fellow resident had found him and quickly alerted the doorman.
“The doorman and building manager rolled him over, and they said, ‘Dr. Witherspoon, are you OK?,'” a source told the media outlet. “He blinked his eyes, and that’s when he was rushed to the hospital.”
Nashville Metro later confirmed that a medical incident had occurred at John’s residential building on August 7. However, the hospital did not disclose the patient’s identity.
Following reports about her father’s hospitalization, Reese took to her Instagram Stories to also confirm the news.
“Earlier today, several outlets reported that my dad was taken to the hospital after a fall,” she said. “I want to let everyone know that he is fine now. He is being taken care of by wonderful doctors and nurses.”
The actress then shared, “Thank you to everyone who reached out. It means the world to our family.”
After spending two nights at the hospital, Witherspoon’s father has returned to his Nashville-area condo.
Witherspoon Previously Credited Her Parents For Supporting Her Throughout Her Acting Career
In a 2008 interview with Marie Claire, Reese opened up about how her parents, John and Betty, have consistently supported her acting career.
“I had parents who believed I could do anything,” she said. “And I know how that made me feel. I think both my parents, having careers in the medical profession, feel they are helping people on a daily basis, and that was inculcated in me as a value. I had to struggle with giving up the idea of becoming a doctor myself.”
John was notably a medical doctor who served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve. He was also in private practice as an otolaryngologist until 2012. Betty has a PhD in pediatric nursing and was a nurse at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Although they separated in 1996 after 26 years of marriage, John and Betty stayed legally married. In 2012, Betty filed a lawsuit against John upon discovering that he attempted to marry another woman while still being married to her. According to the filing, John struggled with dementia, hoarding, and financial manipulation by outside parties. He was placed in a conservatorship.
However, despite the legal battle, Betty later confirmed in 2018 that she and John had reconciled. They were living together in Nashville as well.