Busy Philipps Announces She and Husband Marc Silverstein Are Separated

Phillips said on a podcast that they split in February 2021

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Busy Philipps and Marc Silverstein are going their separate ways.

The "Girls5eva" actress confirmed on the May 27 episode of her podcast, "Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best," that she and Silverstein separated after 15 years of marriage.

"It's been a really long time that Marc and I have been separated," she told her co-hosts, noting that "our kids know, our families know, our friends know," she told her co-hosts.

She went on to explain on the podcast that they split in February 2021 and have kept it out of the public. Phillips, 42, and Silverstein, 50, got married in June 2007, and share 13-year-old Birdie Leigh and 8-year-old Cricket Pearl. Their decision to split came with much discussion, she said.

"The truth is, there's a conventional idea of what a person in the public eye is supposed to do when their relationship ends, and it's been very well established, right?" Phillips said. "Like, you make a statement, you're committed to remaining friends, 'please respect our privacy and our family's privacy in this time,' right? But the truth is, like, who made that rule up, that that's how you do it? I'm serious."

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She added, "You don't have to follow a conventional idea just because it's been done before. I really do believe that."

Phillips shared that the thought of putting out a statement of any kind "made us sick," so they opted to keep things private instead. The "Dawson's Creek" alum explained, "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."

This isn't the first time that Phillips has opened up about facing marital troubles with Silverstein. In "This Will Only Hurt a Little," her 2018 memoir, she shared how having troubles with the producer led her to seek emotional support from another man and later, a therapist.

She also spoke about past tension in their relationship in the November 2018 issue of Parents magazine, sharing that Silverstein was not much of a supportive parent after the two welcomed Birdie, per People.

"He was not understanding how to be a dad and, in fact, didn't try. I was parenting by myself," she recalled. "When I told him I wanted to have a second child, he said, 'Fine, but it's all on you.' That was so heartbreaking."

She added, "Marriage is always hard, but especially when you have kids ... You're going to go through periods when you're not into it, but there always has to be one person willing to fight. I went to Marc several times and said, 'I cannot do this anymore. Something has to change, and it's you.'"

In October 2019, Phillips opened up about her relationship struggles to Harper's Bazaar, saying she and Silverstein had to learn how to communicate after she felt that household tasks were improperly balanced.

"You have to decide what works for you," she told the outlet. "And you have to think about your children. I want everything for my girls, but the only way they're going to believe it's possible for them is if they see me have it."

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