Ryan Phillippe recalls chaotic 2006 Oscar night when ex-wife Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress

What Phillippe said

Actor Ryan Phillippe described the night of the 2006 Academy Awards as "wild" during an appearance on the talk show "Live with Kelly and Mark" on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to E! News and Page Six. ^{[1] [2]}

Phillippe said his then-wife, Reese Witherspoon, had won Best Actress that evening. "While she was backstage giving her post-award interviews, they called Best Picture for 'Crash,'" he recalled. Phillippe was part of the cast of Crash, which won the top prize. ^{[1] [2]}

He said Morgan Freeman presented Best Picture and that he had never met the actor before. Phillippe said he "fanned out" on stage while the film's producer accepted the award, calling it a funny moment. E! News quoted him describing the experience as out-of-body. ^{[1] [2]}

The celebrations continued afterward. Phillippe said he and Witherspoon partied "up until probably 5 or 6 in the morning" and that the after-party was "such a fun" one, per both outlets. ^{[1] [2]}

The ceremony

The 78th Academy Awards took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, with Jon Stewart as host. Crash won Best Picture, and the ceremony ran about three and a half hours. ^[4]

Witherspoon won Best Actress for playing June Carter in Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic directed by James Mangold. Joaquin Phoenix played Cash, and Phoenix received a Best Actor nomination for the role, according to Taste of Country. ^{[2] [3]}

Background

Phillippe and Witherspoon met in the late 1990s and starred together in the 1999 film Cruel Intentions. E! News reports their roughly seven-year marriage ended months after the Oscars, with Witherspoon filing for divorce that November. ^[1]

The two have continued to co-parent their two adult children. E! News reported that they reunited earlier this year for their son's graduation from New York University. In a February interview with the outlet, Phillippe said the former couple's children have a strong sense of self and make good choices. ^[1]

Phillippe is 52 and Witherspoon is 50, per E! News. The outlet described his remarks as a rare public comment on the marriage. No new announcements about either actor's work or personal life accompanied the interview coverage reviewed. ^[1]