Reese Witherspoon says the criticism Renee Zellweger has been getting for her appearance is "horrible"

Reese Witherspoon is defending Renee Zellweger against those that have been criticizing her about her recent looks. Zellweger's appearance has been drastically different since she attended the Elle Women in Hollywood awards, and Witherspoon is saying that the comments critics have been making are horrible.

Last month, Zellweger debuted a very different look at Elle's Women in Hollywood Awards, according to the Daily Mail. Many people even said that Zellweger looked unrecognizable. It wasn't long before plastic surgery rumors began to arise to explain Zellweger's drastically different appearance.

Critics and fans alike have continued to be in awe at how different Zellweger looked when she stepped out with her boyfriend, Doyle Bramhall II, in Mississippi shortly after the Elle event.

Now, Reese Witherspoon is speaking up about all of the criticism that Zellweger has been getting, according to E! News. In a recent issue, The Hollywood Reporter, Witherspoon dove right in to the controversy, saying that the criticism Zellweger has been getting is, "cruel and rude and disrespectful." She went on to say, "I can go on and on. It bothers me immensely."

After the Elle event, Zellweger told People that she was glad people thought she looked different. "I'm living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I'm thrilled that perhaps it shows," she said.

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com.