5 Things To Know About Ava Phillippe
She’s becoming her own star.
You may know Ava Phillippe as the daughter of actors Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe who’d made headlines for being her mother’s doppelgänger; however, Ava has recently become her own celebrity thanks to several notable projects.
She has a million followers on Instagram and has collaborated with a number of impressive brands, from Beyoncé’s Ivy Park to Pat McGrath Labs. She’s also known to attend a cool event or two. In April, Ava stopped by Coachella parties hosted by The Zoe Report’s ZOEasis and H&M.
With her star rising, it’s unclear if Ava will follow in her parents’ footsteps and become an actor. In a November 2021 interview with InStyle, Reese was asked if her daughter planned to enter the entertainment business. “Ava is so down-to-earth. She wants to do great things in the world,” Reese said. “She's studying and learning and trying to find herself. It's a big thing in life to try different things and figure out what is really your path.”
As Ava continues to become a household name all her own, here are five facts about her you should know. TL;DR: She’s an impressive artist.
1. She’s a college student.
When she’s not hitting red carpets, Ava is hitting the books. According to Elle, she’s a student at University of California, Berkeley. In 2019, during her sophomore year, Ava became a face of Amazon's Off to College campaign.
Ava recently revealed she’s not sure about what career she’ll pursue after college. While appearing on E!’s Daily Pop in December, she said pursuing acting isn’t “out of the question.” However, she’s not making any announcements just yet.
"My parents have always encouraged me to choose the path that's right for me and, you know, guide me along the way to make better choices than I might make," she said on Daily Pop. "I'm so grateful for that. That is such a privilege to have parents that support you in that way and to want you to be who you truly are meant to be. So I think I'm trying to do that."
2. She’s super supportive of her parents’ careers.
Ava is just as supportive of Witherspoon and Phillipe as they must be of her. As US Weekly reported in January, Phillippe said in a written response during a Q&A on her Instagram Story that she thinks her life would look different without famous parents. “Yes. Very,” Ava said in response to a fan question; however, she also said she “wouldn’t change a thing” about the way she grew up.
“The good and the not so good all made me who I am and gave me so many amazing opportunities,” she said. “And my parents get to do what they love, which is super cool.”
3. She thinks “gender is whatever.”
Ava shared so much during her Instagram Q&A in January, including her thoughts on gender and sexuality. After a fan asked Ava whether she liked boys or girls, she said, “I’m attracted to...people! [Gender is whatever].”
The day after Ava came out, the star shared an important message to her millions of followers in a separate Instagram Story. “I can [and] will block profiles commenting bigoted/hateful messages under my posts. My Instagram profile is not a place for cruelty/hate speech [and] I intend to keep it that way,” she said.
4. She’s reportedly in a relationship.
According to People, Ava is currently dating fellow UC Berkeley student Owen Mahoney. It’s not entirely clear when they may have first started dating, though US Weekly referred to Mahoney as Ava’s “boyfriend” in 2019. What is clear is the duo appears to keep their relationship largely offline. Good for them.
5. She’s a really talented artist.
If you scroll through Ava’s Instagram, you’ll see she sometimes posts pictures of her stunning artwork. She’s drawn pictures of herself, her mother, and even her adorable dog, Benji. Ava has a separate Instagram account, @itsbenjitherescue, where she shared adorable photos of her dog.
As for her art, Ava sells her wok on Society6 and Etsy. According to her Etsy shop, she donates part of her proceeds to the non-profit organization Together Rising.
So there you have it. Ava isn’t just the daughter of two famous actors. She’s a student, an artist, and clearly a star in her own right.
