Reese Witherspoon has sold Hello Sunshine after five years for a reported $900 million.
The actress launched the media company in 2016 and as well as launching podcasts and a well-loved book club, it has helped produce major TV shows such as Big Little Lies and The Morning Show.
The company has been bought by a new venture between private equity giant Blackstone Group, and former Disney execs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs; it is thought that the Oscar winning actress and Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden will join the yet-unnamed new company board.
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Reese shared the news on Instagram and added: "What a tremendous day! I started @HelloSunshine to change the way all women are seen in media. Over the past few years, we have watched our mission thrive through books, TV, film and social platforms. Today, we’re taking a huge step forward by partnering with @blackstone, which will enable us to tell even more entertaining, impactful and illuminating stories about women’s lives globally.
"I couldn’t be more excited about what this means for our future. I am committed to continuing to create opportunity for filmmakers, authors and creators of all backgrounds and experiences to tell their stories in their own way, and reach more audiences who will see that their stories matter.
"I am deeply proud of the team that got us to this incredible moment, and I’m thrilled to be working with @blackstone , Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs to grow a next generation media company. They are committed to helping our mission to empower women and the people who celebrate them. One story at a time."
The new company aims to focus on building a brand new, independent entertainment company for the streaming era.
Little Fires Everywhere was produced by Hello Sunshine
Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere, both adaptations of acclaimed novels, aired on Hulu and starred Reese along with actors including Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington and Laura Dern.
The Morning Show airs on Apple TV+ and was nominated for five Emmys in 2020, winning one for Billy Crudup. It also had three Screen Actor Guild nomination with Jennifer Aniston winning Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series.
Season two will air in September, and the first trailer revealed the show will follow the backlash of the events of season one, which saw Jen's character Alex leaving The Morning Show after revealing the toxic work environment.
The Morning Show returns in September
The synopsis for season two reads: "Picking up after the explosive events of season one, season two finds the Morning Show team emerging from the wreckage of Alex and Bradley’s actions, to a new UBA and a world in flux, where identity is everything and the chasm between who we present as and who we really are comes into play.
"Along with Aniston and Witherspoon, the star-studded returning cast includes Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Desean Terry, Janina Gavankar, Tom Irwin and Marcia Gay Harden."
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