Cool Intentions: Deacon Phillippe’s High School Graduation Photo With His Parents Is So Sweet

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe’s 18-year-old son, Deacon Phillippe, has officially graduated high school and, wow, does he have supportive parents. Reese and Ryan both shared exciting Instagram posts in the past few days to celebrate their son’s big achievement.

The first family member to post about the event on Instagram was Ryan on June 8 with a slideshow. The first photo in the carousel showed Deacon wearing an orange cap and gown, as well as a pair of black sunglasses, as he stood between his parents. In the photo, he showed off his diploma to the camera with a slight smile. Reese wore a blue polka-dot dress for the event, while Ryan donned a black cap and gown.

As Ryan explained in the caption, Deacon was homeschooled, which meant his father and a few others stepped in to create a poolside graduation ceremony. “I played principal,” Ryan wrote, which explained why he too wore a cap and gown.

Ryan also shared a video of the low-key graduation ceremony. The signature graduation song "Pomp and Circumstance" played in the background of the video as Deacon shook hands with Ryan and two others before collecting his diploma. “Yeah!” Deacon said before tossing his cap into the pool, where Reese followed to retrieve it.

Ryan seemed to find the whole thing very amusing. “reese w the cap grab 😂,” he said.

The photos in the slideshow include Deacon holding his diploma, a close-up of the diploma, and Ryan snapping a mirror selfie in his black cap and gown. “Best dad ever,” Deacon said in a comment on the post.

The next day, on June 9, both Reese and Deacon also Instagrammed about the special occasion. “Congrats to you @deaconphillippe on Graduating High School! 💫So proud of the thoughtful, talented, kind & generous young man you have become. You light up our hearts and make us proud everyday. We 🧡you!” Reese wrote.

The graduate himself, though, may have summed up the celebration best. “Valedriptorian,” he simply said in the caption of his June 9 post.

Deacon’s graduation comes just a few weeks after he attended prom. Reese posted a photo of her son dressed up for the occasion in a May 22 Instagram. “Love this guy @deaconphillippe 💗,” she said. Her post drew attention from a number of celebrities, including Kelly Rowland. She commented, “What a handsome guy!!” while Kate Hudson wrote, “What happened to our children?!?!?!”

Reese and Ryan married in 1999, which was the same year they starred in Cruel Intentions together. They welcomed their daughter, Ava Phillippe, in 1999. The couple had Deacon four years later in 2003. After seven years of marriage, the stars officially separated in 2006. In 2011, Reese married again to Hollywood agent Jim Toth.

Over the years, Reese and Ryan have occasionally been photographed at family functions together and share updates on Instagram. Deacon’s graduation is just the latest in a long line of supportive moments.