Busy Philipps’ Most Honest Quotes About Motherhood, Marriage and More

Credit: Sara De Boer/Startraks

Busy Philipps’ Most Honest Quotes About Motherhood, Marriage and More

Her truth! Busy Philipps is known for speaking her mind when it comes to her career, motherhood, marriage and more. The actress certainly does not hold back, which makes her all the more relatable to fans going through similar situations. “I gauge what is appropriate and what is necessary, and I always laugh when people say things like, ‘You reveal everything on social media!’ because I think to myself, ‘Oh, well, if only you knew!’” the Cougar Town alum exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2019. “I think that part of the value in what we all can do, whether we’re in the entertainment industry or not, is share our stories and be open to hearing other people’s. I think that that is truly how and what we need to do right now, in this country especially. Truly, I think it’s incredible.” She added: “The internet has been such a gift to connect us to people all over the world who are having similar experiences or who have gone through similar things or who are parenting and trying to do their best.” [jwplayer I8syuFDq-l3ahXupL] Amid her willingness to share intimate details of her day-to-day life, Philipps proves she is no different than any other person trying to make their way through the world. “You just have to focus on what’s really important in life, and that’s your friends and your family and the life that you build,” she revealed to Us in April 2017. The Dawson’s Creek alum’s honesty is apparent in her musings on those things that mean the most to her. She married husband Marc Silverstein in June 2007 and went on to welcome Birdie in August 2008 and Cricket in July 2013. After 14 years of marriage, Philipps announced in May 2022 that she and the screenwriter had separated in February 2021. She candidly discussed their breakup on her "Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best" podcast and revealed why she chose to go public with the news over a year later. "The surest way that Marc and I have been able to ensure the privacy of our kids that we love so f—ing much was by not involving the public," she explained in part. Over the years, the Girl5eva star has also chosen to go public with important information about her children, like when she revealed in December 2020 that Birdie is gay and uses they/them pronouns. “For those of you who are my friends listening at home, this is the first you’re hearing that Birdie is gay and out,” she explained on her “Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best” podcast. “Birdie told us at 10 years old and we immediately … I mean, obviously, I knew that Birdie knew.” Six months later, Philipps noted that Birdie is nonbinary. When she is not balancing family and her friendship with former Dawson’s Creek costar Michelle Williams, Philipps is dominating everything from acting to writing to hosting. In fact, her 2018 memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, served as another avenue for her to share stories from her past filled with vulnerability and openness. Scroll down to revisit Philipps’ most honest quotes about motherhood, marriage, work and more. [podcast_block]

Credit: Sara De Boer/Startraks

Busy Philipps’ Most Honest Quotes About Motherhood, Marriage and More

Her truth! Busy Philipps is known for speaking her mind when it comes to her career, motherhood, marriage and more. The actress certainly does not hold back, which makes her all the more relatable to fans going through similar situations. “I gauge what is appropriate and what is necessary, and I always laugh when people say things like, ‘You reveal everything on social media!’ because I think to myself, ‘Oh, well, if only you knew!’” the Cougar Town alum exclusively told Us Weekly in July 2019. “I think that part of the value in what we all can do, whether we’re in the entertainment industry or not, is share our stories and be open to hearing other people’s. I think that that is truly how and what we need to do right now, in this country especially. Truly, I think it’s incredible.” She added: “The internet has been such a gift to connect us to people all over the world who are having similar experiences or who have gone through similar things or who are parenting and trying to do their best.” [jwplayer I8syuFDq-l3ahXupL] Amid her willingness to share intimate details of her day-to-day life, Philipps proves she is no different than any other person trying to make their way through the world. “You just have to focus on what’s really important in life, and that’s your friends and your family and the life that you build,” she revealed to Us in April 2017. The Dawson’s Creek alum’s honesty is apparent in her musings on those things that mean the most to her. She married husband Marc Silverstein in June 2007 and went on to welcome Birdie in August 2008 and Cricket in July 2013. After 14 years of marriage, Philipps announced in May 2022 that she and the screenwriter had separated in February 2021. She candidly discussed their breakup on her "Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best" podcast and revealed why she chose to go public with the news over a year later. "The surest way that Marc and I have been able to ensure the privacy of our kids that we love so f—ing much was by not involving the public," she explained in part. Over the years, the Girl5eva star has also chosen to go public with important information about her children, like when she revealed in December 2020 that Birdie is gay and uses they/them pronouns. “For those of you who are my friends listening at home, this is the first you’re hearing that Birdie is gay and out,” she explained on her “Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best” podcast. “Birdie told us at 10 years old and we immediately … I mean, obviously, I knew that Birdie knew.” Six months later, Philipps noted that Birdie is nonbinary. When she is not balancing family and her friendship with former Dawson’s Creek costar Michelle Williams, Philipps is dominating everything from acting to writing to hosting. In fact, her 2018 memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, served as another avenue for her to share stories from her past filled with vulnerability and openness. Scroll down to revisit Philipps’ most honest quotes about motherhood, marriage, work and more. [podcast_block]

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Self-Love

The Busy Tonight alum reflected in May 2013 on being asked to lose weight for a role in her 20s. “I feel like it’s the last frontier of feminism — the weight thing with women — even for myself,” she admitted on The Conversation. “I identify as a feminist. I have so many feminist beliefs — and then I’m so mean to myself about my body sometimes. Or I can be judgmental about other people for their bodies, and I don’t know how to get over it.”

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Working Mom

“In terms of being a working mom, I’ve got it made,” Philipps explained on HuffPost Live in May 2014. “I’m on a TV show where my hiatus is [my kids’] summer so I’m free to be with them in the summertime. I’m able to afford full-time help because of what I do. My husband also works, and my nanny makes my life doable and so easy. I have nothing to complain about. Obviously all moms have their push and their pull and their mommy guilt. … I don’t ever feel like I have to stop myself from complaining about how hard it is to be an actress. I mean, it’s not that hard.”

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Her Coping Mechanisms

The Freaks and Geeks alum detailed how she uses exercise to keep her mental health in shape. “Someone asked if people like my sweaty Instagram stories and my feeling is that, honestly, I don’t really care all that much,” she wrote via Instagram in June 2017. “I post those for myself, as a f—k yes for showing up. I have anxiety and I have a tendency towards depression but I have found if I sweat like this, EVERY SINGLE DAY, I feel better. I’m calmer, I’m a better mom and those fogs of anxiety or sadness seem a little lighter. I’ve been picking my skin less, engaging in less binge eating and I’ve just felt better about myself. (And obvi I go to therapy too) My goal is not some perfect bod (I like chips and salsa and margs too much for that) My goal is to feel the best I can in my body and my brain for the rest of my life.”

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Empowerment First

Philipps noted in April 2018 that she tried to be a positive example for her kids. “I’m very careful about how I talk about myself in the home, to myself and to my husband,” she told Us. “The things I say privately in the home are always being heard by our kids. So I’m never weird about wearing a bikini or showing my body off. I try to empower my own self in front of my girls. That’s the best I can do.”

Credit: Courtesy of Busy Philipps/Instagram

The Elusive Work-Life Balance

The author shared that Cricket was “not used to me working this much,” which made her feel conflicted. “It’s been a little bit of a transition, me going to work every single day,” she revealed to Us in August 2018. “She doesn’t understand. [She is like], ‘Why do you have to work all the time?’” She believed her daughter would “figure it out,” but that did not curb her guilt: “Sometimes I have those days where I’m like, ‘I was a bad mom today.’ I fall into that trap where you say the thing that you’re not supposed to say, as a mom.”

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Daddy Issues

Philipps called out Silverstein for not committing to parenthood. “He was not understanding how to be a dad and, in fact, didn’t try,” she said in the November 2018 issue of Parents magazine. “When I told him I wanted to have a second child, he said, ‘Fine, but it’s all on you.’ That was so heartbreaking.” However, she “went to Marc several times and said, ‘I cannot do this anymore. Something has to change, and it’s you.’ We’ve had a lot of serious discussions and counseling, and he’s incredibly participatory now in a way I don’t think he could’ve imagined before. We’re a work in progress but trying our best, and that’s the most you can do.”

Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock

Splitsville?

The Vice Principals alum confessed in her 2018 memoir that she asked Silverstein for a divorce in December 2016. She admitted she had a “crush” and “maybe even loved” another man at the time, as the screenwriter distanced himself from her. “But he didn’t want to get divorced. He wanted a chance to change,” she wrote. “He said I owed our family that.” They worked through their problems in therapy despite her still “talking to [her] emotional boyfriend (for a lack of a better term).”

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Complementing Each Other

“I think the key to coparenting with anyone, whether you’re in the same house or separate houses, is being able to tap out if you need to or if you can’t figure out how to effectively parent on a scenario,” she told Us in November 2018. “That’s what we’ve just learned over the last 10 years. You have to be able to, you know, look to the other person and say, ‘I really don’t know what to do here. What do we do?’”

Credit: Courtesy of Busy Philipps/Instagram

Growing Up

Philipps opened up about what it’s like to see Birdie grow into her individuality and embrace her mom’s accomplishments. “Being a parent is difficult whether you’re an actor or a TV host or a doctor or someone who stays at home. It’s all difficult,” she admitted to Us in January 2020. “Frequently, especially with my daughter getting older, she’s her own person and sometimes I wonder if she understands why I work so much or how important things are to me and why I do what I do.” When Birdie defended her following the cancelation of Busy Tonight, she knew her eldest child got it.

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No Words of Wisdom

“I make it a point to never give anyone advice about babies or kids just because everyone’s experience is so unique,” she told Us in March 2020. “Every baby is different and it’s just not the kind of thing — you can prepare all you want and get all the stuff and it still doesn’t help.”

Credit: Sara De Boer/Startraks

Me Time

Philipps confessed in May 2020 that she and Silverstein needed time apart while quarantining during the coronavirus pandemic. “It’s the worst. I mean, I obviously couldn’t do it without him but ugh,” she explained to Us. “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.”

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Breaking Free

The Girls5eva star told Us in December 2020 that she considered herself “lucky” to return to work amid the pandemic since the change of scenery helped her marriage. “Having that time out of the house and being out, doing the thing that I really like to do, has been important for me. I think once Marc and I sort of figured out how to each take our own time for ourselves or breaks, things got a lot easier,” she explained. “We just had to prioritize. You have to prioritize yourself a little bit, then you have to be open to the fact that maybe you need to be generous to your significant other and ask them if they need to prioritize themselves.”

Credit: Courtesy of Busy Phillips/Instagram; Shutterstock

Learning as She Goes

Philipps announced in December 2020 that Birdie is gay, admitting on her podcast that she had “been doing a bad job” remembering her eldest child’s they/them pronouns. “I haven’t been doing it,” she said. “I have this public persona and I want Birdie to be in control of their own narrative and not have to answer to anybody outside of our friends and family if they don’t want to. Bird was, like, ‘I don’t give a f--k. You can talk about how I’m gay and out. You can talk about my pronouns. That would be cool with me. That’s great.’ So I said, ‘OK, I can talk about it on the podcast.’”

Credit: Courtesy of Busy Philipps/Instagram

Standing Her Ground

Philipps explained to Health magazine in May 2021 why people do not have to “understand” Birdie’s pronouns, noting that she feels the same way about “all human rights.”

“You don’t have to understand it,” she reiterated. “You can choose to believe what you want, but you don’t get to have jurisdiction over anyone else’s body or belief system.”

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Separated

Philipps and Silverstein separated in February 2021, though she didn't go public with the news until over a year later.

"Marc and I talked about it, and when we first separated, we couldn't even think about putting one of those statements out — it made us sick, both of us, truly ill," the actress recalled on her "Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best" podcast in May 2022, noting that their split has been a "journey."

Credit: Courtesy of Busy Phillips/Instagram

We Wanted to Protect Our 'Beautiful Kids'

"The surest way that Marc and I have been able to ensure the privacy of our kids that we love so f---ing much was by not involving the public," Philipps explained on her podcast in may 2022, more than one year after the initial separation.

The WB alum shared that while they are separated, she and her estranged husband still "love each other — very much!" She added, "And we have these beautiful kids together. And there are a lot of things that really work about our relationship."

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It Takes a Village

“You have to rely on lots of people to do the mothering,” the Girls5Eva actress told Yahoo! Life in March 2023. “The term ‘it takes a village’ rings true, but we don’t live in villages anymore. You build your village with other ‘moms.’”