Reese Witherspoon has always been known for her sharp wit and impeccable comedic timing, but it turns out that her sense of humor once cost her a friendship. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, alongside her You’re Cordially Invited co-star Will Ferrell, she shared a story about an awkward awards show moment that went completely sideways.
According to Witherspoon, a fellow actress—someone she didn’t know all that well but who was very serious and proper—asked her to present her with an award. Since she had never attended that particular ceremony before, she assumed it had a more playful, roast-style atmosphere. Going with that assumption, she got up on stage and delivered a lighthearted, teasing speech.
However, it didn’t take long for her to realize she had completely misread the room. The event, as it turned out, had a very formal British elegance to it—far from the casual, joke-friendly vibe she had expected. Unfortunately, by the time she caught on, she had already shared a personal anecdote on stage, blurting out, “Remember the time we got laser hair removal?!”
As she recalled the moment in the interview, Witherspoon couldn’t help but laugh, but she admitted that she was still deeply embarrassed by it. While she found the situation amusing in hindsight, the actress on the receiving end did not. In fact, the incident put an end to their friendship altogether.
Witherspoon acknowledged that her humor had been completely out of place that night, calling it a case of cracking jokes in front of the wrong audience at the absolute worst time. Looking back, she suspects that the actress in question probably doesn’t like her anymore—but at least she has a memorable story to tell.