On Thursday, actress Reese Witherspoon had a virtual interview with the Today Show’s Jenna Bush Hager to discuss relaxing children’s screen rules while in quarantine. While many would likely agree that too much screen time can be detrimental to people of all ages, Witherspoon isn’t too worried about it. In fact, she used to watch around five hours of television a day as a child, according to Today.
Hager is a big book reader and often discusses her favorite authors during the fourth hour of the Today Show . Her chat with Witherspoon was in honor of World Book Day, which took place on Thursday. Hager noted that as much as she wishes her children would do more reading than watching television, she acknowledged that sometimes, screen time is a much-needed relief for tired parents.
“We didn’t really used to let our kids look at screens, like during pre-quarantine. We didn’t let them do it during the week, we were always reading, and now, I’m like, all right y’all, TV time while I clean the kitchen because you kind of have to,” she explained to Witherspoon.
However, the actress assured Hager that a few extra hours in front of the TV isn’t going to hurt anyone and that she personally watched “so much television” as a child. After all, Witherspoon still went on to be well-educated and successful.
“I read books too, but I’m not kidding, Jenna. I watched probably five hours of television a day, and guess what? Now I make TV shows! So don’t worry about it,” she said with a laugh.
Witherspoon went on to say that she actually learned a lot from watching TV, as it later helped develop her skills as an actress. She was able to acquire an appreciation for comedy by watching popular shows like Saturday Night Live , Diff’rent Strokes , and The Jeffersons .
Hager noted that in unprecedented times like these when schools are closed and families are forced into tight quarters together, leniency is to be expected.
“I think it’s maybe about not being so hard on ourselves,” she said, as Witherspoon nodded.
Witherspoon is a mother of three, including 20-year-old Ava Elizabeth Phillippe, 16-year-old Deacon Reese Phillippe, and 7-year-old Tennessee James Toth.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Witherspoon is doing her part to help out during the coronavirus crisis. She recently donated an undisclosed amount of money to the nonprofit organization DonorsChoose, which will help provide support to teachers in southern cities. The funds will help provide teachers with the materials necessary for their classrooms.