Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner have been buddies for years, so it’s only natural that they have exchanged advice and supported each other through difficult times over the course of that friendship. The 13 Going on 30 actress obviously takes it to heart, because she revealed something Witherspoon told her to do 20 years ago that she still does to this day — even if the Legally Blonde star doesn’t seem to remember saying it.
The actresses posted a video to Instagram recently showing a video call between them. After they exchanged warm greetings, Jennifer Garner admitted:
It says ‘Reese’ on my phone. It doesn’t say my nickname.
When Reese Witherspoon showed confusion over why that was such a bad thing, Jennifer Garner repeated the advice she’d given her so long ago, saying:
Because 20 years ago you said to me, ‘Never put anyone’s name under their own name,’ and I was like, ‘OK!’
The Morning Show star seemed to think this was very funny, possibly because that is a strategy she actually does employ for herself or because she can remember doling out the sage advice to fellow celebrities earlier in her career.
Either way, it seems like good advice to me. Just imagine whose numbers could have been gleaned from Matthew McConaughey’s phone when he lost it on a rollercoaster. You also never know when somebody’s going to catch a glimpse of something they’re not supposed to see — Kendall Jenner got The Golden Bachelor’s first season spoiled for her when she saw Theresa Nist’s name in Gerry Turner’s contacts before the short-lived couple went public.
It does seem like a tedious practice, though. If everyone’s under a nickname, how do you remember who’s who? You could add their real name as a nickname and then do a search when you need to find someone, which might keep an eavesdropper from knowing who you’re talking to, but it wouldn’t help in the case of a lost or stolen phone.
Honestly, I have to wonder what Jennifer Garner’s nickname for Reese Witherspoon is, since she admitted to having one. There’s no way Garner simply used Witherspoon’s real name, Laura Jeanne, is there? Jennifer Aniston would have a field day with that.
Either way, it’s fun to see these two collaborate for a social media post together and get a glimpse into their decades-long friendship. Over the years, Jennifer Garner has shown how much she values Reese Witherspoon, sending her birthday greetings — sometimes via saxophone performance — and dancing with the Rockettes at the request of her friend.
Most recently the two have come together for The Last Thing He Told Me, a book-to-screen adaptation streaming with an Apple TV subscription. Both Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner are executive producers on the series, with Garner leading The Last Thing He Told Me’s cast. Fans won’t have to wait much longer for Season 2, as the series is set to return to the 2026 TV schedule on Friday, February 20.
