Highlights
- Reese Witherspoon shuts down rumors of dating Kevin Costner, stating that the story is completely fabricated.
- Witherspoon and Costner are both recently divorced, but there is no evidence to support the claims of them being together.
- Despite the rumors, Witherspoon emphasizes her focus on her family and requests privacy during this personal time.
There's no hotter gossip than the celebrity dating scene, but Reese Witherspoon just tossed a bucket of ice water on the latest speculation about her love life. Witherspoon has a lot going on lately. She finalized her divorce earlier this year from Jim Toth, with whom she shares a 10-year old son, Tennessee. Witherspoon and Toth were together for 12 years.
Kevin Costner, too, is in recently-divorced mode. His former wife, Christine Baumgartner, filed earlier this year, and the two have gone through a tumultuous series of legal battles, including fighting over child support and who would retain residency in their Santa Barbara estate.
Witherspoon's split, at least, seems more amicable. She released a statement on social media expressing that both she and Toth felt "deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together."
Still, with both suddenly single, rumors began to swirl about Witherspoon and Costner -- but Witherspoon's agent just shut that all down.
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There's No Truth To The Witherspoon-Costner Dating Speculation
Witherspoon's media rep was willing to address the rumors, and told Page Six that there's no truth to the "completely fabricated" story.
Reese herself, and her former husband, have said their focus at the moment is on keeping things smooth for their son, which doesn't exactly mean either of them couldn't be dating someone new, but it does emphasize why they'd be unhappy about inaccurate rumors swirling while they try to settle into a post-divorce groove.
In fact, People reports, Witherspoon specifically expressed that she was focusing on family, and requested respect for their privacy as she, Toth, and their son navigate matters that are "never easy, and are extremely personal."
A source close to Costner had reportedly suggested that the actor was trying to keep things quiet, and that he wanted his name attached to more Oscars, not new tabloid headlines. The individual even said Costner and Witherspoon were making efforts not to be seen together. The unnamed source also indicated that Costner had always been attracted to the two-decades-younger actress.
Costner's team has neither confirmed nor denied the relationship, so Witherspoon's denial is the most official response going, for now.
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Where Did The Witherspoon-Costner Rumors Come From?
Aside from the anonymous source, Town & Country reports there's nothing else to support the rumors. Granted the two are both recently divorced, and between sharing that experience and their Hollywood lives, there's no question they'd have plenty to talk about. However, the anonymous source isn't backed with any reports of the pair being seen together, or any details about their alleged sneaky trysts.
Instead, the individual reportedly described Costner and Witherspoon as "calling and texting on the pretence [sic] of finding the perfect script" and seemed to suggest that an escalation of this communication to (allegedly) daily interaction was enough evidence of a secret relationship.
If this insider was trying to start a firestorm, it worked. The story hit podcasts and social media, and fans were eating it up. The response shows, at least, that if either or both of the actors do leap back into dating life, the public is all for it.
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