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The busy Philipps has been separated from her husband Marc Silverstein since February 2021, as she revealed on her podcast on Friday.
“It’s been a really long time since Marc and I broke up and our kids know it, our families know it, our friends know it,” the actress told her co-hosts of Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best.
“And we really discussed how I deal with it publicly? Because when we first broke up, it was around February of last year.”
Philipps, 42, went on to explain why she and Silverstein, 50, decided to go against typical Hollywood breakup protocol.
“There’s sort of a conventional notion of what a person should do in public when their relationship ends, and it’s very well established, isn’t it? They make a statement, they pledge to remain friends, “please respect our privacy and our family’s privacy at this time,” right? But the truth is, who made the rule that you do it this way? I’m serious.”
She continued, “And if anything, the last few years have shown me that whether you’re leading a public life or just posting on Facebook or whatever, you can only do what’s right for you and your family . Because we are all leading public lives at this point. You don’t have to follow a conventional idea just because it’s been done before. I really think so.”
The Dawson’s Creek grad shared that while she and the screenwriter “discussed” briefly about releasing a statement when they split, they mutually agreed not to.
“It made us sick, both of us, really sick,” she said of the idea.
The now-separated couple married on June 16, 2007 and have two children together: Birdie, 13, and Cricket, 8.
“It’s a journey. daytimeno. It was a Trip‘ added Philipps before breaking down in tears and continuing, ‘The surest way Marc and I could ensure the privacy of our children who we love so dearly was by not involving the public.’
Her co-host Caissie St Onge then interjected, adding, “If I may, you are the most disconnected people I’ve probably ever known.”
“Well, we love each other – very much,” Philipps replied. “And we have these beautiful children together. And there are a lot of things that really work in our relationship.”
In 2018, Philips revealed to Parents Magazine that after the birth of her eldest, Birdie, who is non-binary, Silverstein didn’t understand “how to be a father.”
“He didn’t understand how to be a father and actually didn’t try. I was a single parent,” she said at the time. “When I told him I wanted to have a second child, he said, ‘Fine, but it’s all about you.’ That was so heartbreaking.”
Even after welcoming daughter Cricket, the producer’s disinterest in being an active father prompted the ‘I Feel Pretty’ star to give her husband an ultimatum.
“Marriage is always difficult, but especially when you have children. … You’re going to go through periods when you’re not in it, but there always has to be a person who’s willing to fight,” she said. “I went to Marc several times and said, ‘I can’t do this anymore. Something has to change, and you are.’”
While Philipps claimed at the time that Silverstein eventually became “incredibly involved” in their children’s lives, their marriage was still shaky.
“We’re still a work in progress but we’re trying our best and that’s the best you can do.”
