What Is Reese Witherspoon’s Net Worth? She Makes 7 Figures Per Morning Show Episode

In 2023, Forbes — once again — proclaimed that Reese Witherspoon was one of the richest actors in the world with hundreds of millions of dollars to her name. It’s official — the Big Little Lies star is rich rich. In fact, between 2017 and 2018 alone, she is rumored to have made $20 million, which was ultimately her salary for The Morning Show season 2.

Of course, Witherspoon has been building up her giant savings account for a while now. After getting her start in the 1990s in movies like Pleasantville and Cruel Intentions, the actor continued to establish herself as one of the faces of twentieth-century Hollywood in American Psycho, Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama, Just Like Heaven, and, of course, Friends (alongside bestie Jennifer Aniston).

After developing a Legally Blonde-fueled reputation as being a little too ditzy for dramatic roles, Witherspoon proved her versatility in projects like Wild, Walk the Line (in a role which earned her an Oscar), Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Morning Show. She also claimed a spot as one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers with her female-focused production company Hello Sunshine.

Witherspoon hasn’t shown signs of stopping any time soon. Legally Blonde 3 is on the way. She also served as the executive producer for The Last Thing He Told Me, and has a dozen more upcoming producer credits, as per her IMDb page. Throughout the years, she’s proved how versatile and bankable she is in Hollywood.

Witherspoon’s career seems to be at an all-time high — and so does her bank account. Here is a breakdown of her unbelievable net worth.

5 Ways Reese Witherspoon Makes Her Millions

1. Acting

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Louisiana native Witherspoon started acting at an early age. She was cast in local TV commercials at seven years old, and eventually took acting lessons. The Emmy nominee ultimately dropped out of Stanford University to pursue a career in acting, and it certainly paid off. She had a few screen acting credits before her first major role in the 1999 film Cruel Intentions. According to Parade, she took home $250,000 for the role.

While we don’t know exactly what the actor made for her next big hit, Legally Blonde, Witherspoon began to ask for a base rate of $15 million per movie after the movie’s huge success. She reportedly got her wish for Legally Blonde 2, along with movies like Four Christmases and Walk the Line.

According to reports, she also made $12.5 million for Sweet Home Alabama, $12 million for This Means War, and up to $12 million for Hot Pursuit.

Over the years, Witherspoon has learned the hard way that she needs to fight for equal and fair pay as an actor in Hollywood. “I think women do not discuss [money] enough,” she told InStyle in 2021, adding, “I’m not money driven, but I do see it as a piece of value in a marketplace. If I think about what women earn, sometimes their salaries get sort of amplified in media because it seems so enormous, but if you measure it against a man’s salary in the same profession, it’s usually pretty uneven, certainly in Hollywood. The amount of money that I make on movies is not the same amount that men make on movies, still to this day.”

These days, she said, she “picks up the phone” and asks for what she wants. And she seems to be getting it.

Witherspoon’s base rate seems to be going up. According to reports, Witherspoon and Aniston both earn $2 million for every episode of The Morning Show. While many people were shocked by this “exorbitant” number, Witherspoon told The Hollywood Reporter that she feels her salary is fair. “There seemed to be a resentment, as if we weren’t worth it or it was bothersome, and I thought, ‘Why is that bothersome?’” she said. She ultimately took home $20 million for Season 2 of the Apple TV+ show, and there’s a good chance her paycheck will grow come the third season.

2. Producing

Witherspoon took her first steps into producing in 2000 with the launch of her company Type A Films. The company helped produce Legally Blonde, Legally Blonde 2, Penelope, and Four Christmases. As per The Hollywood Reporter, in 2012, the company merged with another production company and was renamed Pacific Standard. In 2016, Witherspoon created Hello Sunshine, which encompassed Pacific Standard. Under this name, Witherspoon was an executive producer for films such as Wild, Gone Girl, Where the Crawdads Sing, and shows like Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, and Little Fires Everywhere.

In 2021, the production company reportedly sold to a media firm for $900 million. As Witherspoon told The Wall Street Journal at the time, “I’m going to double down on that mission to hire more female creators from all walks of life and showcase their experiences. This is a meaningful move in the world because it really means that women’s stories matter.”

3. Brand Collaborations

In addition to investing in film and TV, Witherspoon has also collaborated with a few brands over the years. In 2015, the actor launched her own line of clothing called Draper James. “I created Draper James to honor my past and allow others to embrace the beauty, style and excitement that embodies what is happening in the South today,” she said in a statement at the time.

In 2020, the clothing line began a two-year partnership with Land’s End. The following year, Witherspoon partnered with skincare company Biossance, becoming their Global Ambassador in a five-year collaboration. For Witherspoon, it was the perfect company to champion. “I was blown away by how science-led it all was,” she told Allure.

Witherspoon’s Sunshine Set is now available on the Biossance website.

4. Books

Witherspoon has also earned some of her net worth from her writing. Her first book, Whiskey in a Teacup, was released in 2018.

Witherspoon went on to write a children’s book, Busy Betty, which was released in 2022. As the actor told People, she had been thinking about writing the book for a while. "I've been thinking about creating a children's book with realistic young female characters since I had my daughter," she said. "When I was a kid, I had a busy brain with a million ideas and more energy than most adults could manage so, Betty is really based on adventures from my childhood."

According to the publication, Busy Betty is the first in a series of children’s books that will be published by Penguin.

5. Real Estate

Reese Witherspoon isn’t just an actor-producer-director. She’s also something of a real estate mogul. She owns a lot of property.

Her first major purchase was a $3.955 million home in Ojai, California, which the actor bought in 2006. She went on to list the property for $10 million in 2012, and eventually sold for $4.983 in 2013.

In 2014, Witherspoon bought a mansion in Los Angeles for $12.7 million. After a series of renovations, she put the home on the market for $20 million in 2016. Eventually, the property sold for $17 million in 2020.

Witherspoon also bought a home in Malibu in 2019 for $6.25 million, which later sold for $6.7 million.

In 2020, Witherspoon bought a $15.985 home in the Brentwood neighborhood in Los Angeles, which sold for $21.5 million two years later. In 2022, Witherspoon reportedly bought not one, but four new homes for a total of $28 million.

According to reports, the actor owns a few properties in Nashville, Tennessee, including an $18 million mansion, and a home in the Bahamas.

What Is Reese Witherspoon’s Net Worth

$440 MILLION

According to Forbes, Witherspoon has a staggering net worth of $440 million. And after her success in 2022 so far, we’re willing to bet that number is even higher!