Reese Witherspoon is under fire for backing artificial intelligence as the future of filmmaking — with critics blasting her as a ‘Hollywood elitist’ who can afford to praise it while ordinary writers, actors and crew members fear losing work.
The Oscar winner, 49, gave her take on AI while promoting the next season of The Morning Show, which she stars in and executive produces.
Reese cofounded Hello Sunshine, the powerhouse behind Big Little Lies, Daisy Jones & the Six and The Morning Show.
In 2021, she sold a majority stake in the company in a jaw-dropping $900 million deal — instantly making her one of the richest female actors in Hollywood.
So when she urged women to embrace AI, many accused her of being out of touch — pointing out that while Reese and other top-tier stars can cash in on the technology, it’s the everyday creatives struggling to pay rent who stand to lose the most.
‘It’s so, so important that women are involved in AI because it will be the future of filmmaking. And you can be sad and lament it all you want, but the change is here,” Reese told Glamour.
Reese Witherspoon is under fire for backing artificial intelligence as the future of filmmaking — with critics blasting her as a ‘Hollywood elitist’ who can afford to promote it thanks to her own empire; (seen in June)
The Oscar winner, 49, gave her take in a new interview while promoting the next season of The Morning Show, which she stars in and executive produces; (seen in 2006)
‘It will never be a lack of creativity and ingenuity and actual physical manual building of things. It might diminish, but it’s always going to be the highest importance in art and in expression of self.’
Her comments instantly set off a firestorm online.
One critic snapped, ‘Reese Witherspoon’s all-in on AI in filmmaking smells like a power grab by Hollywood elites, sidelining regular creatives while she pushes for women to dominate a tech boys’ club.’
Another wrote, ‘With respect, I feel like it’s really easy to say this when you own a production company and won’t see your job vanish while your creative colleagues are thrown out on their asses for an algorithm recycling the last century of cinema.’
One piled on, ‘It’s here, yes. But you own your own production company so you don’t HAVE to replace human work for a computer. So in an industry where there isn’t equity for women (especially WOC) you’re choosing to use something that’ll create a larger disparity.”
Others accused her of hiding behind wealth and privilege: ‘Ohhh so AI’s cool — but only if Hollywood elites are the ones in charge? Got it.’ one wrote.
Another chimed in, ‘So basically… AI is fine as long as Hollywood elites get to control it??’
And one posted, ‘Gurl bye. Also you can choose give those jobs to real people instead of AI. But her white privilege don’t let her see that.’
Some critics also worried about the bigger picture.
Reese cofounded Hello Sunshine, the company behind Big Little Lies, Daisy Jones & the Six and The Morning Show, and in 2021 sold a majority stake in a $900 million deal that made her the richest female actor in Hollywood; (seen in 2024)
So when she urged women to embrace AI , many thought the message reeked of privilege
‘AI is just killing the jobs meanwhile the world population is still rising rapidly. Oh this is going to be catastrophic for the future generation. idk how can anyone celebrate this.’
Still, a few fans defended her vision.
‘She’s spot on. AI isn’t replacing creativity it’s reshaping it. And if women aren’t in the room shaping that future, the art we get will be missing half the story,’ one wrote.
Another gushed, ‘Absolutely inspiring words from Reese Witherspoon! Her call for women to lead in AI’s role in filmmaking is spot-on, embracing innovation while championing creativity and human artistry.
‘Excited for how she’ll shape this future with her vision and passion!’
In her Glamour interview, Reese also opened up about how AI has become part of her everyday life.
‘I use AI everyday,’ she said when asked how she incorporates it into her routine.
‘I use search tools, like Perplexity, every day. I use Vetted AI. Like, if you’re buying a blender, it’ll show you six different blenders and also recommend the best product. I use AI Assistant.’
Reese made the AI comments in her Glamour interview
Some Hollywood legends, like Steven Spielberg and Ben Affleck, remain wary of AI taking over movies and TV, while stars such as Ashton Kutcher and Ryan Reynolds are embracing the technology.
The debate is only heating up as the technology evolves at lightning speed.
Reese’s bold stance on AI comes shortly after she opened up about the challenges of juggling life as a busy Hollywood star and mother.
The Oscar winner is mom to daughter Ava Phillippe, 25, and son Deacon Phillippe, 21, as well as her youngest son Tennessee Toth, 12.
Reese shares her older children with her first husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, while Tennessee is from her second marriage to talent agent Jim Toth.
‘Someone asked me what raising three kids and building a career in Hollywood looked like…’ she said in a recent Instagram slideshow.
‘It looked like spending a lot of time in trailers together. It looked like always being on the road together,” she continued, before joking that raising her family also ‘looked like my kids constantly giving me career advice!’
‘I’d cry working 14 to 17 hours, sometimes all night long and still woke up early for carpool. I was deliriously tired,’ she admitted.
‘In conclusion, even though it was challenging at times, having kids gave me perspective about what was important in life. Nothing was better than getting to come home and hug them and hear about their day!’
Reese was married to Ryan from 1999 to 2007.
Reese shared a rare photo of herself with all three of her children on Thursday as she opened up about how ‘challenging’ it is to be a mother and a busy Hollywood star; (The Oscar winner is mom to daughter Ava Phillippe, 25, and son Deacon Phillippe, 21, as well as her youngest son Tennessee Toth, 12)
The two announced their separation in October 2006, with Reese filing for divorce a month later over irreconcilable differences.
After a two-year relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal from 2007 to 2009, Reese began dating Toth in 2010, marrying him the following year.
She welcomed Tennessee in September 2012, but the marriage ended in 2023.
More recently, Reese has been dating billionaire German financier Oliver Haarmann.
