After getting their starts in the 1990s, both Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet were part of some of the best movies of the 2000s, and continue to be two of the most talented actors in Hollywood in 2025. But, did the pair become friends before falling out? After Witherspoon shared a speech story gone hilariously wrong, people started speculating that about her and Winslet. However, the Legally Blonde actress is making it clear where things stand between her and the Titanic star.
Reese Witherspoon Revealed An Award Show Speech That Still “Haunts” Her
Reese Witherspoon has recently been promoting her new movie with Will Ferrell, You’re Cordially Invited, which is now available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription. When the pair talked about events gone wrong during their press tour, here’s what the actress recalled:
It literally haunts me. 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. 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. I was like, ‘Remember the time we got laser hair removal?’ I’m still embarrassed about it.
Now, in the interview with People, Witherspoon didn’t get into details about what award show she was talking about or who she gave the award to. However, some people on the internet became instantly convinced she was speaking about the BAFTAs with Kate Winslet. As Witherspoon continued when recounting her regretful speech:
We’re not friends anymore. I’m not even kidding — we’re not friends anymore. 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.
This sounds super awkward, but honestly, it’s refreshing to hear Reese Witherspoon get honest about how sometimes these glitzy award shows are not as glamorous as one would expect. While she didn’t provide a lot of context, she said the actress she presented to and her don’t talk after she brought the wrong tone to her speech.
Witherspoon Has Responded To Suspicions That Kate Winslet Was At The Center Of Her Awkward Speech Story
Outlets like Just Jared and such have taken the Big Little Lies star’s words and speculated that Witherspoon was talking about the time she presented Winslet with her Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year back in 2007.
Publications are pointing to a Reese Witherspoon fan site from 2007 that recounts her speech allegedly including the actress mentioning laser hair removal and talking about the pair’s friendship being “too bawdy or tawdry or drunken to tell”. While it sounds like the event could fit the bill, The Morning Show actress took to her Instagram story to clarify the situation:
Hey guys… just spoke to my very dear friend for years, Kate W. We laughed about this stupidity. Please do not believe the internet. We are good friends and have never had any falling out.
Was she talking about Winslet? We’re truly not sure now, but it sounds like the viral moment led the pair to connect and laugh about the whole thing, regardless.
Reese Witherspoon has often been known as a girls girl, whether it’s by fighting for better scripts for women with her production company, having a GNOs with Jennifer Aniston or stepping up for Natalie Portman while they were both going through divorces. But, it does have us wondering who she was referring to now that we know it wasn’t Winslet.