Reese Witherspoon has purchased her production company, Hello Sunshine, back from Candle Media.
The actress completed the transaction following the company's sale to Candle Media in 2021. Variety reported that Witherspoon may have reacquired the banner for only a small portion of the $900 million Candle Media originally paid for it. Hello Sunshine recently dismissed approximately 30 employees, representing roughly 50% of its total staff.
The production house underwent at least four rounds of staff reductions over the past two years. Candle Media closed the kids and animation unit of Hello Sunshine in 2023. In 2024, Candle Media merged its live-action division, which included Hello Sunshine, into a new entity called Candle Studios.
Sarah Harden resigned from her position one year after that consolidation.
Witherspoon stated, "Mediawan has built a global, independent studio by putting creators first. That has always been my vision for Hello Sunshine."
The actress added, "I’m investing alongside Mediawan and joining Pierre-Antoine Capton and his teams because this is the perfect home for this new media landscape. It’s also a homecoming. Peter Chernin and Jesse Jacobs believed in Hello Sunshine from day one. I’m deeply proud of what our incredible team has built, and grateful to Blackstone and Candle Media for their partnership and unwavering support."
Witherspoon noted that "the best is still ahead."
