Reese Witherspoon has broken her silence following a medical emergency involving her father, John Draper Witherspoon, who was urgently taken to the hospital on Friday.
The actress, renowned for her role in “Wild,” addressed her followers on Instagram Stories that same day. She provided a reassuring update regarding her father’s condition, writing, “Earlier today, several outlets reported that my dad was taken to the hospital after a fall. I want to let everyone know that he is fine now. He is being taken care of by wonderful doctors and nurses.”
With gratitude, she added, “Thank you to everyone who reached out. It means the world to our family.”
The 84-year-old John was discovered lying face down on the concrete by the pool area of his Nashville, Tennessee, condominium, as sources revealed to Page Six on Friday.
A concerned neighbor from an adjacent balcony noticed the retired otolaryngologist, calling out to the doorman to alert him. Subsequently, the doorman found the “Big Little Lies” star’s father in this precarious situation.
“The doorman and building manager rolled him over and they said, ‘Dr. Witherspoon, are you OK?’” the source noted. “He blinked his eyes, and that’s when he was rushed to the hospital.
Nashville Metro confirmed to Page Six that a medical incident resulting in someone being rushed to the hospital had occurred at John’s condo building Friday, but did not reveal the person’s identity.
John, who served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserves, was a surgeon who specialized in issues concerning the ears, nose and throat.
He married wife Mary Elizabeth (aka “Betty”) in 1970, after meeting in medical school at the University of Tennessee. Betty was a nurse.
The couple went on to welcome Reese’s older brother — also named John — in 1972 and the “Legally Blonde” actress in 1976.
John and Betty raised their children in Nashville together until the ‘90s when they separated and began living separately. Their split came to light in 2012, when Betty lodged a bigamy lawsuit against John.
At the time, Betty demanded John’s new marriage to Tricianne Taylor — which she’d only heard about in the local newspaper — be annulled, arguing that John had failed to divorce her before marrying again.
Betty also claimed at the time she still loved John — despite his issues with alcohol, infidelity and hoarding.
They weathered the storm, because Betty told the Australian outlet Women’s Day in 2018 they’d reconciled and been together “quite a while” and were “still married” (per People).
John and Betty have supported Reese throughout her career, cheering from the audience when she won her Oscar for “Walk the Line” at the 2006 Academy Awards and standing by her side when she got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Though Reese often shares cute moments with her mom on social media, updates on her father have been more rare.
In 2020, the Hello Sunshine founder shared a selfie with John to celebrate Father’s Day, posting a snap of them together on a walk.