Reese Witherspoon says she was 'flummoxed' by Ryan Phillippe's money joke at the 2002 Oscars
Phillippe made note of Witherspoon's high income
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reese Witherspoon is looking back at one of her headline-worthy Oscar moments.
The 44-year-old actress, an Oscar winner herself, recently appeared on "The HFPA in Conversation" podcast in which her now-infamous appearance at the 2002 Academy Awards was brought up.
That year, Witherspoon was presenting an award alongside her then-husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, who offered to let her read the winner of an award because "you make more [money] than I do."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After the line, the audience laughed with Witherspoon looked a bit shocked.
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It seems that the actress had all but forgotten about the silly moment, as she revealed on the podcast.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You're reminding me of that!" she said when the incident was brought up, per Yahoo Entertainment. "I forgot that ever happened."
She also revealed that the moment wasn't scripted and she had no idea what was coming.
"But you're right, he did say that, and no, it wasn't scripted, and he didn't tell me he was going to say that before it happened on air," Witherspoon revealed. "So I was a little bit flummoxed in the moment, too."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The actress admitted that she's not exactly sure what led Phillippe, now 46, to make the comment, but said that women face an extra obstacle when they achieve financial success like her own.
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"There's so few women that make a lot of money that sometimes they're shamed for it, and sometimes they are expected to give more and do more and be more to others in the same position that, say, a male movie star would not be expected to," Witherspoon explained. "But I do think gender norms have changed quite a bit since that moment ..."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The star also looked back on a past teaching moment for her daughter Ava, now 21.
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe at the 2002 Academy Awards. They were married from 1999 to 2007. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
Witherspoon said that her daughter came home from school in tears one day after being told that her mother was one of Hollywood's highest-paid actresses, making her feel "so embarrassed."
"I said, 'Don't ever feel ashamed of a woman making money. There are women all over this world who don't have an opportunity or an education or the ability to make money. And the more women who make more money, will give more money away, will take care of their societies, will take care of their communities, will do more with that money, So don't ever feel bad about your mom making money, and don't ever feel bad if you make money, and don't be embarrassed or ashamed if its more than your partner,'" the star said.
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Witherspoon and Phillippe divorced in 2007, but the star is still among Hollywood's highest-earners. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the star has amassed a value of $200 million thanks to her work as an actress and a producer.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}For context, the actress was reportedly paid $2 million per episode of Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show," which boasted 10 episodes in its first season.