Reese Witherspoon’s father returns home after hospitalization over poolside incident

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Reese Witherspoon’s father, Dr. John Witherspoon, has returned home after spending two nights in the hospital following a fall near the pool at his Nashville residence. The 84-year-old retired otolaryngologist was found face down on concrete on Friday before being taken to the hospital.

John was released from the hospital on Sunday, according to a source, after the medical incident at his luxury Nashville condo complex. Reese Witherspoon later confirmed that her father was doing fine and thanked the doctors, nurses and people who reached out to the family.

John Witherspoon returns home after poolside fall

The scare occurred Friday when a resident spotted John lying face down on the concrete near the building’s pool and alerted the doorman. According to a source, the doorman and building manager rolled him over and asked, “Dr. Witherspoon, are you OK?” John blinked his eyes before he was rushed to the hospital.

Nashville Metro confirmed that a medical incident had occurred at John’s residential building on Friday and that someone had been rushed to the hospital, but officials did not reveal the patient’s identity.

Reese confirmed her father’s fall Friday evening after the incident was first reported. “Earlier today, several outlets reported that my dad was taken to the hospital after a fall. I want to let everyone know that he is fine now. He is being taken care of by wonderful doctors and nurses,” the actress wrote. She concluded, “Thank you to everyone who reached out. It means the world to our family.”

John is known at his luxury condo complex for having a “vibrant and eccentric spirit.” A source described him as someone who walks around in shorts and cowboy boots and called him “a real hoot.”

John Witherspoon and Reese Witherspoon’s family

John served as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserves and worked as a surgeon specializing in issues concerning the ears, nose and throat. He married Mary Elizabeth, known as “Betty,” in 1970 after meeting her at the University of Tennessee, where she was studying to become a nurse and John was in medical school.

The couple welcomed their older son, also named John, in 1972 and Reese in 1976. John and Betty raised their children in Nashville until the 1990s, when they separated and began living separately.

The couple later reconciled. In 2018, Betty told the Australian outlet Women’s Day that they had been together “quite a while” and were “still married.” She also said, “He has moved back in with me.”

John and Betty supported Reese throughout her career. They attended the 78th Academy Awards in 2006, where she won Best Actress for ‘Walk the Line,’ and were also present when she received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.

During her Oscar acceptance speech, Reese thanked her parents for being there and for always being proud of her. “I'm so blessed to have my family here tonight. My mother and my father are here. I just want to say thank you so much for everything, for being so proud of me. It didn't matter if I was making my bed or making a movie,” she said.

She added, “They never hesitated to say how proud they were of me. And that means so very much to a child.”

In a past Vanity Fair interview, Reese also reflected on the motivation she received from her parents. “You wonder where all my drive comes from?” she questioned, adding, “My dad scored a perfect score on his SAT's and a perfect score on his MCATS, and graduated at the top of his class from Yale.”