Keeping it real. Busy Philipps admitted that quarantining with her husband, Marc Silverstein, has impacted their marriage.
“It’s the worst. I mean, I obviously couldn’t do it without him, but ugh,” the Dawson’s Creek alum, 40, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting her new Walgreens campaign on Tuesday, May 12. “Listen, it’s been a process — like everything — but we have been making a point to make sure … that the other one gets time to themselves.”
Philipps continued, “So for Marc, a lot of times he really enjoys sitting outside by himself in the middle of the day, which is great. When he’s out there, I’m like, ‘I’m not texting him, I’m not asking him where the spatula is that he was the last one to use.’ It’s just, like, go outside, sit down, look at your phone, look at Twitter, do whatever you want to do for an hour.”
The former Busy Tonight host, however, also takes time for herself later in the day. “I prefer the evening [or the] afternoon when I know all the kids’ homework, everything is done and they’re just playing or watching TV or doing whatever they’re doing,” she explained. “I go up onto my balcony. I call it balcony time.”
Philipps said she’s found this daily approach to be “really helpful” for the duo while they are stuck at home. However, they have also taken the initiative to prioritize date night.
“We’ve been making it a point, recently especially, to have really nice dinners together. He’s been cooking,” she shared with Us. “I am very, very lucky. He’s like a gourmet chef. It’s totally nuts, the kind of stuff he is able to whip up in this quarantine time. So he’s been making these really beautiful dinners for us. Then he’ll bring it up to the balcony and we’ll eat out there together and have some nice time.”
The Freaks and Geeks alum noted that their daughters Birdie, 11, and Cricket, 6, will sometimes join the pair outside during their special meals. However, their daughters will sometimes “just come out and dance” for them if the girls have already eaten. “We just do some family time, but also a lot of times it’s just me and Marc. It’s nice,” she added.
The Cougar Town alum has been vocal about the ups and downs in her marriage in the past. Last October, Philipps admitted that she nearly left the Never Been Kissed screenwriter over uneven parenting tasks. “I was fully out the door,” she told Harper’s Bazaar at the time. “I wasn’t expecting anything from him, but what we ended up doing was creating our own system.”
Philipps has been married to the 48-year-old filmmaker since 2007. They welcomed Birdie in 2008 and Cricket in 2013.
Aside from trying to find balance in her marriage during quarantine, the This Will Only Hurt a Little author spoke to Us about how she is working with Walgreens to help children in poverty for Red Nose Day. Due to the pandemic, Walgreens came up with an innovative way for everyone worldwide to participate in the movement. The retailer is providing access to a digital red nose through a special filter that can be shared across social media.
“You’re giving your money toward organizations that are helping kids who need it the most right now,” she explained. “All of these organizations are really spread so thin and the need is just growing and growing for kids to be safe and healthy and educated and fed. So, we’re hoping that people really participate and show up and get their digital red nose and share on social media and tag Walgreens and Red Nose Day.”
To get a digital red nose, head to Walgreens.com/RedNoseDay to make a donation now through Saturday, May 30. All contributions will benefit organizations supported by Red Nose Day.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
