Reese Witherspoon has found a direct correlation between the decline in romantic comedies and the current state of the dating world.
The Morning Show actress, 49, sat down with Dax Shepard during the Monday, November 3, episode of his “Armchair Expert” podcast, as the two discussed the topic.
“The system is really f–king broken,” Shepard said, after revealing a “beautiful” friend of his doesn’t get approached by men in public. “Dudes need to be going up to girls and asking them for numbers.”
Witherspoon — who famously starred in rom-coms such as Sweet Home Alabama and Your Place or Mine — then shared her theory.
“It all has to do with rom-coms and sitcoms,” she said. “You know how there’s been, like, the past 10 years, I would even say the past 15 years, this decline in the making of rom-coms? Or, like, legitimate big movie stars being in rom-coms?”
She continued, “It’s not just rom-com movies, but I also think of rom-com television shows. The television show that you watched when you were 11, 12 or 13, that made you imagine and visualize dating skills.”
The Legally Blonde star went on to say that she and her teenage son, Tennessee Toth, watch shows like The Goldbergs, Everybody Hates Chris and Young Sheldon together. Witherspoon explained that these types of shows often have teenage character who are “learning about relationships and romantic dynamics.”
“Every once in a while, you get a great friendship. I don’t know what it is, but I do think these 10 to 15 years where the internet started, social media started, and then we stopped,” she continued. “We started going, ‘rom-coms are cringey,’ but it was actually where we learned social dynamics. From Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.”
Witherspoon — a staple of early 2000s romantic comedies — is currently in a relationship with German financier Oliver Haarmann. The pair were first linked in 2024.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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