"Golden Bachelor"'s Lily Reeves Reveals She's Related to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson: 'He Helped Raise My Daughters' (Exclusive) Sarah JonesOctober 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM 0 Lily Reeves Lily Reeves and Rita Wilson.
- - "Golden Bachelor"'s Lily Reeves Reveals She's Related to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson: 'He Helped Raise My Daughters' (Exclusive)
Sarah JonesOctober 21, 2025 at 11:59 PM
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Lily Reeves
Lily Reeves and Rita Wilson. -
Lily Reeves was eliminated week one from season two of The Golden Bachelor
The retired elementary school teacher is the sister of Rita Wilson and sister-in-law of Tom Hanks
Reeves tells PEOPLE exclusively what it's been like watching Wilson and Hank's relationship blossom throughout the years
Lily Reeves' time on The Golden Bachelor may have been brief, but her Hollywood connection runs deep.
The retired elementary school teacher from Pacific Palisades, Calif., is the older sister of none other than Rita Wilson, who's married to Tom Hanks.
Reeves, 72, remembers when Wilson, 68, first introduced Hanks, 69, to their family after his early film roles. "I remember when she did Volunteers and she came home after the movie and she just went, 'Yeah, I think I really like this guy, you know?'" she tells PEOPLE exclusively in a wide-ranging interview about her family ties and time in the show. "And so when she first met Tom, he wasn't very huge."
lily reeves
Rita Wilson and Lily Reeves.
"They've remained... very, very humble people in a way," Reeves says. "They've always tried not to raise their kids to be spoiled brats. You know, 'You have to earn things and all that.' And so I'm happy for her that she has the life that she has. I got to experience a lot of really, really cool things, through Rita and Tom."
"I've been to the Oscars, I've been to the Golden Globes, I've been to the Emmys, I've traveled on private jets, I've done great things. And of course I couldn't afford that on teacher salary. So that was through their generosity," she says.
Reeves also recalled the first time Wilson brought Hanks to dinner. "I think I had them over for dinner and I was already divorced at the time. And [Tom] didn't eat vegetables, I remember. It was like, he didn't want to eat vegetables at that time. I think he's changed his diet since then. But he was very, very funny. I mean, it's like, we're always laughing, you know, he's just as you perceive him, that's who he is. He's a super, super nice guy and just easygoing and everybody loves him," Reeves says. "And he really helped raise my daughters in a way."
Kevin Mazur Archive 1/WireImage
(L-R) Kate Capshaw, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Lily Reeves, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Steven Spielberg in 1994.
Reeves' daughter Carly Reeves also made a name for herself after she was the first contestant eliminated on Claim to Fame. Carly was outed as the niece of Hanks in the premiere by fellow contestant Hugo after her ties to fame were hinted at with a park bench — from Hanks' iconic movie Forrest Gump — earlier in the show.
"[My daughters] saw Tom more than, really, their dad a lot of the time," Lily says. "And, you know, he was there kind of as an adult, a good adult figure for my daughters to look up to also. And so I appreciate that too. He's been wonderful. That's all I can say."
Lily's surprising Hollywood connection came up after her elimination from The Golden Bachelor during the first week of the show's second season starring 66-year-old retired NFL player-turned-lawyer Mel Owens.
"I've been a fan of the show like forever, since it started," Lily says of why she applied to be a contestant. "And when I saw that they were having a golden version for the first time, the first one, I right away said, 'Oh my god, this is right up my alley.'"
She adds, "I love it because I don't like online dating. Maybe I can meet someone, they're going to do the vetting. It would be great."
Lily Reeves
Lily Reeves
Lily previously applied for Gerry Turner's first season and almost made it on. "I got pretty far and then I didn't get on," she says. She applied again after the Palisades fires, which destroyed her home. "That was a big change in my life," she says.
When she finally stepped out of the limo, she was "definitely nervous."
"We were the last limo to arrive, and I was the first one out of that limo," she says. "To me, being a fan of the show, I'm like, 'Holy crap, this is the Bachelor Mansion. I'm like, 'Ah, there it is. You know? There he is. He's standing right there.'"
Lily Reeves
Lily Reeves and Carly Reeves
Lily says she found Owens "really handsome" but didn't get much time to talk with him before her elimination. "I'm not going to lie, I was really sad and really disappointed that I was eliminated night one," she said.
Though Lily is still open to finding love, she admits she isn't a fan of online dating. "I am, but I'm lazy too, so I don't want to, I don't like online dating. And I just won't do it. It's like too much work," she says with a laugh.
Lily says she's hopeful love might happen more organically. "If I can't meet somebody playing pickleball, playing tennis, playing golf, you know, I do all of these things. I go dancing. I mean, I do all of this stuff. And yeah, I'm hopeful. I want to meet someone, it'd be great, but I'm not willing to put the time in to do it unless it just happens organically."
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