Jennifer Garner Praises Reese Witherspoon for Helping Her During a “Very Public, Very Hard Moment” in Her Life

To cope, the two turned to dance—and Witherspoon broke her foot in the process.

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Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner together
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Reese Witherspoon vulnerably got emotional at an event her media company, Hello Sunshine, hosted in Los Angeles yesterday, telling the audience assembled that, during a difficult period in her life about a year ago, she realized that she was “the glue in everybody’s life, whether it’s work or being a mom or being a partner, but who is holding you together, you know?” She added “We hold up so much for so many.”

In addition to the many roles Witherspoon holds—mom, actress, producer, philanthropist, founder, for starters—Witherspoon is also a fantastic friend, as fellow actress Jennifer Garner shared at the “Shine Away” event yesterday, detailing how Witherspoon helped her during a dark chapter in her life.

Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner together

(Image credit: Getty Images)

“I think back to going through a very public, very hard moment in my life,” Garner told Witherspoon at yesterday’s event. “This one was right there.”

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And, in addition to emotional support, Witherspoon also encouraged another form of healing—dance. “The way I needed to get through it was to dance cardio,” Garner said, per E! News. “And I dance cardio-ed so hard, we broke her foot—but she kept going.” To this, Witherspoon added “Just keep dancing, ladies. Just keep dancing.” 

Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner together

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Even a broken foot didn’t stop this pair. “It was like, ‘Okay, we worked out at 7, on vacation,’” Garner said. “'We’re going to work out again at 2.' She’s like, ‘Okay, uh huh, I’m going to be there. I’m going to be there.’”

Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner together

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Though neither Garner nor Witherspoon shared when this happened or what Garner was facing exactly, E! News reports that Witherspoon previously twisted her foot in 2011, which could mean something, or it could mean nothing. In 2015, Garner went through what she herself described as a challenging time in her life when she split from her husband, Ben Affleck, who is also the father of her three children.

“Going through it in public is not what’s hard, going through it is what’s hard, A,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021. “And B, my children’s eyes are on me.” 

Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner together

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Garner is an unflinchingly positive person, though, and of herself, she said “I’ve learned that I’m pretty sturdy,” she told People in 2021. “I’m okay when I’m in the house by myself. I’m okay when it’s just the kids and me. I’m okay when they fall apart. I mean, I have my moments, but pretty much, I’m really okay.”

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.