“It literally haunts me” — Reese Witherspoon recalls roasting a “proper actress” at an award show who doesn’t talk to her anymore

Reese Witherspoon recently admitted that a speech she gave at a formal British awards ceremony ended her friendship with a well-known actress. Speaking with Will Ferrell while promoting You're Cordially Invited on January 30, 2025, she revealed how her roast-style jokes backfired, leaving her former friend deeply offended.

In an interview with PEOPLE, the Legally Blonde actress said, "It literally haunts me," adding that the actress in issue had requested her to deliver an award directly. Witherspoon, however, misinterpreted the event's tone, believing it to be more light-hearted than somber. She added,

"We're not friends anymore. I'm not even kidding—she doesn’t talk to me anymore," she admitted. "I think she doesn’t like me anymore."

Fans immediately started making assumptions about the identity of the actress in question, even though she did not name the actress nor mention the incident. Many people believe that Witherspoon's speech honoring Kate Winslet at the 2007 BAFTA/LA Cunard Britannia Awards was the cause of the fallout.

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The speech by Reese Witherspoon that went too far

According to Reese Witherspoon's interview, she had never been to the event before and thought it was a roast. The recollection made her chuckle, she remembered,

"So I got up and I roasted her"

But she quickly discovered that her sense of humor did not fit the evening's tone, which was defined as "British, elegant and classy."

According to reports, Reese Witherspoon made fun of Kate Winslet's English accent, her famous nude scene from the movie Iris released in 2001, and the laser hair removal incident. She said,

"I was like, 'Remember the time we got laser hair removal?"

During the speech, Witherspoon also made fun of Winslet's acting career by making jokes about her fearlessness to strip off for movie scenes. She even remembered how she imitated Winslet's British accent when they first met and how the actress knocked on her home and asked for wine.

According to JustJared, the following were present in Witherspoon's 2007 speech,

"I always wanted to be a European movie star, wear giant sunglasses, elaborate neck scarves, smoke hand-rolled cigarettes, and have savoir faire and gravitas."

She went on to add,

"Imagine my good fortune when Kate Winslet moved into my neighborhood, rang my doorbell and said, in an English accent 'Dahling, Sam is off shooting, and I believe our children are the same age. Could they possibly have a play date and oh, by the way, it’s almost 9 o’clock and I’ve had nothing to drink, do you have any wine?'"

The gap between them soon widened as Winslet was said to remain unimpressed, despite the audience laughing at Witherspoon's joke.

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Witherspoon and Winslet's apparent fallout and Witherspoon's lingering regret

Reese Witherspoon acknowledged that she still feels bad about the statement. She said,

"I thought it was so funny and it was just, I had the wrong audience,"

She added,

“It was pretty bad. Yeah. Not even kidding—she doesn’t talk to me anymore. Oh well.”

Witherspoon said she learned it from that event by reading the crowd before making jokes, even if she now laughs about it.

Reese Witherspoon has remained renowned for her presence at award shows despite this incident. She even mimicked her Australian accent when she gave Nicole Kidman the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024, which was well appreciated.

Despite her silence on the identity of the actress who was once her friend, many are adamant that it was Winslet, citing the parallels between the incident's specifics and her 2007 acceptance speech.

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Reese Witherspoon has already moved on and is concentrating on her next project, a prequel to Legally Blonde, which she said will start production in March 2025.

In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, Reese Witherspoon said

"I'm really excited because we're going through the casting process right now. We're picking who is going to play the young me. It’s kind of a trip."

She went on to add that the large number of gifted young actresses trying out for the part has made the selection process difficult. She also mentioned,

"It’s so exciting too, to watch these young girls that are so filled with enthusiasm and excitement and completely... There's so many good ones. That’s the hard thing because there’s so many good people to choose from."

Reese Witherspoon has moved on despite this humiliating error that occurred over twenty years ago. She acknowledged, though, that the uncomfortable awards ceremony incident is still fresh in her memory.