Reese Witherspoon Just Proved That She and Paul Rudd Discovered the Selfie in 1996
Back in 2017, heiress and businesswoman extraordinaire Paris Hilton claimed that she took the very first selfie. Her proof? A snap with Britney Spears that dates back to 2006. While the New York Times did the work and traced the actual first selfie to 1920, Reese Witherspoon is the latest celebrity to lay claim to the honor of taking the first selfie. In an Instagram post, Witherspoon, alongside Paul Rudd, shared a snapshot that goes back to '96, a full decade before Paris and Britney's DIY photoshoot.
"Wait a second... did #PaulRudd and I take the 'Selfie' in 1996?" she captioned the photo. So, even if Hilton really did take the first selfie — NYT gave her the benefit of the doubt and tried to credit her for the first celebrity selfie, but she even fell short of that thanks to Andy Warhol — Witherspoon and her pal Paul take the crown for their digital-age take on the selfie.
Rudd and Witherspoon have co-starred in several movies, including 2010's How Do You Know and 1998's Overnight Delivery. Forbes notes that How Do You Know has the honor of being one of Netflix's most-watched movies, though it was one of Witherspoon's box-office bombs when it was released.
Back in August, Witherspoon posted a still from the film to commemorate a #FBF.
"Paul Rudd is as wonderful in person as he is on screen," she wrote in the caption.
