For as long as she’s been in the spotlight, actress Reese Witherspoon has seemed like a well put-together, family-loving Southern girl. She’s frequently quoted as saying her parents were huge influences in her life, raising her with devout Episcopalian values and helping her keep ego at bay once she became famous.

But a recent incident involving her mother and father–Mary Elizabeth (Betty) and John Witherspoon–may lead to some embarrassing press for the star.

Betty Witherspoon has filed suit against her husband on the grounds of bigamy, claiming he remarried even though he’s still legally married to her. She also says John is showing signs of dementia and may not be fully aware of the situation and its consequences. She says she doesn’t want a divorce, because she still loves her husband, but simply wants his new marriage annulled. Interestingly, she also says John told her he doesn’t “remember” marrying another woman when she confronted him about it.

Family has always been important to Reese, who has two children with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe and is expecting a third with new husband Jim Toth; no comment from the star yet on her parents’ marriage troubles.