Deacon Phillippe, the 22-year-old son of actors Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, has gone viral after posing shirtless in a provocative new photoshoot for California clothing brand ERL.
The professional pictures were taken at a studio in Venice Beach, California, and published on Instagram by designer and photographer Eli Russell Linnetz, quickly garnering more than 7.4K likes.
In one shot from the campaign, Deacon poses against a chest of drawers wearing jeans and flip-flops while showing off his tanned, toned torso. His blond hair is brushed back in a beach wave style popular among surfers in Venice Beach.
In another image, he poses in a jeans and tank top combination before flexing his well-defined biceps as he peels off his shirt. In yet another thirst trap, the young man wears a purple hoodie, matching jeans, and no shirt underneath.
"Still in the purps btw they stayed on since," Deacon teased in the comments section of the post.
Followers could not resist sharing their appreciative remarks beneath the photographs. One fan wrote, "He got both his parents elite genes," while another shared, "He is beautiful like his parents." A third commenter ventured to say he was "purely beautiful," and a fourth chimed in with, "Oh wow."
Some social media users also pointed out the young man's ties to his famous parents, who first met while filming the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions. One fan jibed, "ANOTHER day another NEPO HERE FOR THE ABS," while another wrote, "This the nepotism I wanna see."
Family Resemblance and Fashion Callbacks
The new campaign has drawn widespread comparisons between Deacon and his buff dad, actor Ryan Phillippe, who is 51. The Hollywood celebrity child has frequently been compared to his father due to their shared features.
Not so coincidentally, Deacon mirrored Phillippe's outfit when he attended the premiere of the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle in New York City with his mother on June 23.
Deacon wore a suit with a wide pink tie and dark Ray-Ban shades. The ensemble was a replica of the look the I Know What You Did Last Summer star wore to support Witherspoon at the premiere of the original Legally Blonde film in New York City in 2001.
Back in September 2021, Phillippe spoke modestly of where Deacon gets his good looks during an interview with E! News.
"Obviously, there is a father-son resemblance, but he actually looks a lot more like Reese's side of the family. Ava looks more like mine," Phillippe told the outlet, adding that Deacon is "way better looking than I am."
Deacon graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in May as his dad, mom, and 26-year-old sister Ava looked on. He is mostly focused on a music career in production and songwriting, but occasionally dips into modeling and acting. He previously shared candid family snaps from his NYU graduation on social media.
Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon's Split
Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon wed in 1999 after starring together in Cruel Intentions and were the "It" couple of the early 2000s until their eventual separation in 2006. A year later, their divorce was finalized.
Phillippe blamed the divorce primarily on their young age when they married, telling W Magazine that the split was the "darkest, saddest place" he had ever known.
Witherspoon, 50, described their divorce as "humiliating and very isolating," per Page Six. However, the former couple remained friendly throughout their post-divorce co-parenting years and are still friendly today.
Witherspoon wrapped up filming the fifth and final season of drama series The Morning Show on August 8, which is set to air in 2027.
Reese Witherspoon's New Relationship
Witherspoon has been quietly dating Searchlight Capital founding partner Oliver Haarmann, 58, since 2024. The Oscar-winning actress is said to be relieved that her boyfriend is not a fellow celebrity.
"She likes that he's outside of the entertainment world," a source told People magazine. "He's very driven in his own career and that really works for Reese, who loves being busy and focused. They have a lot of fun together and things between them are going really well."
Witherspoon is still based in Nashville, Tennessee, and enjoys traveling back and forth to New York to see Haarmann. While the pair have been dating since 2024, they only made their first public appearance at the New York City premiere of Elle, which stars Lexi Minetree as the teenaged Elle Woods.
"She loves the kind of focus that comes with having a lot going on," the source told the publication. "She really enjoyed working behind the scenes on the show, including the casting process, and feels proud to be bringing something she cares so much about to a new audience."
This is Witherspoon's first serious relationship since her divorce from former Creative Artists Agency (CAA) talent agent Jim Toth in 2023 after 12 years of marriage. She and Toth have a 12-year-old son, Tennessee, while Haarmann has two children from a previous marriage.
