Last week news came that Reese Witherspoon and her husband Ryan Phillippe are splitting. However, it’s confirmed that Witherspoon, Hollywood’s highest-paid actress, has filed for divorce.
Witherspoon seeks the custody of the children Ava, 7 and Deacon, 3 years old. She also seeks visitation rights for Ryan and asked court to terminate its ability to award spousal support to Phillippe.
The couple was married in 1999, when they together costarred ‘Cruel Intentions’. Their separation was announced on October 30 by a publicist.
It seems as if there is a mini-trend in the celebrity sphere where the successful woman leaves the underperforming spouse behind. First it was Witherspoon and Phillippe.Three weeks ago it was Whitney Houston saying goodbye to Bobby Brown. Before that it was double Oscar winner Hilary Swank and her TV actor husband, Chad Lowe and later Britney and Federline were seen following the same path.
New York lawyer Bonnie Rabin says,
The world is getting educated by these celebrity separations, The dependent spouse has traditionally been the woman. Now, you have cases where the woman is the anchor, the provider, the supporter. The interesting question is, how is society going to look at these men that are left behind? Are they going to be seen as the victims now?
In March, Witherspoon won an Academy Award for her role as June Carter Cash in 2005’s “Walk the Line.’
