Reese Witherspoon sat down with George Stephanopoulos for a live, Good Morning America interview Thursday, her first since her April 19 arrest in Atlanta. Her husband, Jim Toth, was charged with DUI. She was charged with disorderly conduct. Getting right to the news, George asked the actress what happened. “It’s one of those nights,” said Reese, 37. “We went out to dinner in Atlanta, had one too many glasses of wine. We thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not. And it’s just completely unacceptable. And we are so sorry and embarrassed. And we know better.”
Why not call a car service or a cab?
“Absolutely,” said the actress. “It was just poor judgment. And I think we made a mistake. It’s something that will absolutely never happen again. Just bad judgment.”
George didn’t let her off the hook there. He said that her statement to the police, “Do you know my name?” didn’t sound like the Reese Witherspoon we know and love. She continued with her wide-eyed mea culpa. “I agree. I have no idea what I was saying that night. I saw him arresting my husband and I literally panicked. I said all kinds of crazy things. I told him I was pregnant. I’m not pregnant! I said crazy things,” she said chuckling a little. “You only hear me laughing because I had no idea what I was talking about and I am so sorry. I was so disrespectful to him. I have police officers in my family. I work with police officers every day. I know better.”
Reese offered that said she had spoken to Atlanta police “yesterday” again to offer apologizes, saying there was no reason to be “disrespectful.”
George asked how she was talking to her kids about it.
“I have to say that’s the hardest part about it. Having to tell our kids,” said Reese, who is mom to Ava, 13; Deacon, 9; and Tennessee, who is seven months old. “And just embarrassed. You have to say when you make a mistake, you have to take responsibility. And we are taking responsibility and doing everything in our power to make it right. You just have to be honest with them. That was definitely the hardest part.”
Lessons learned?
“There were so many lessons learned. Absolutely. When a police officer tells you to stay in the car, you stay in the car,” she said, laughing. “I think I’ve played a lawyer so many times in movies, I think I am a lawyer — and clearly I’m not a lawyer. So, I learned a lot.”
