The Bossticks - Busy Philipps: Unfiltered & Unapologetic On ADHD, Boundaries, & The Realities of Hollywood

Episode Date: September 22, 2025

#888: Join us as we sit down with Busy Philipps – author, actor, activist, & host of the new series Busy This Week. From her breakout roles on Freaks and Geeks & Dawson's Creek, to becoming a New York Times best-selling author & redefining authenticity through Instagram stories, Busy has always been a force in storytelling! In this episode, Busy opens up about her later in life ADHD diagnosis, the realities of co-parenting teenage daughters, navigating the highs & lows of her early acting career, continuously evolving in Hollywood, & the importance of setting boundaries.    To Watch the Show click HERE   For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM   To connect with Busy Philipps click HERE   To connect with Lauryn Bosstick click HERE   To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE   Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE   Head to our ShopMy page HERE and LTK page HERE to find all of the products mentioned in each episode.   Get your burning questions featured on the show! Leave the Him & Her Show a voicemail at [phone].   To learn more about the Dawson's Creek Class Reunion and purchase tickets visit https://broadwaydirect.com/show/dawsons-creek-class-reunion.   This episode is sponsored by Just Thrive Visit https://justthrivehealth.com/discount/TSC and use promo code TSC for 20% off your first order.   This episode is sponsored by Squarespace Go to Squarespace.com for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch, http://squarespace.com/SKINNY to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.   This episode is sponsored by The RealReal Get $25 off your first purchase when you go to http://TheRealReal.com/skinny.   This episode is sponsored by Bobbie Bobbie is offering an additional 10% off on your purchase with the code TSC. Visit http://hibobbie.com to find the Bobbie formula that fits your journey.   This episode is sponsored by Cozy Earth Head to http://cozyearth.com and use my code SKINNY for 40% off!    This episode is sponsored by Function Health Learn more and join using our link. Function is a near-360 view to see what's happening in your body, and my first 1000 listeners get a $100 credit toward their membership. Visit http://functionhealth.com/SKINNY or use gift code SKINNY100 at sign-up to own your health. This episode is sponsored by Good To Know Visit http://GoodToKnowFacts.com for more information.   Produced by Dear Media

The following podcast is a dear media production. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her.

An icon is gracing us with her presence on the show today, Busy Phillips. She is an actor. an author, an activist, host of the series Busy This Week, a Mom, and she knows how to story tell. You may recognize her from Freaks and Geeks and Dawson's Creek. You also may recognize her from her book. She was a New York Times bestselling author. I thoroughly enjoyed her book. If you haven't read it, it's a good one. She shares all of the realities of co-parenting teenage daughters on her Instagram. And she also is very open about the highs and lows. This conversation, conversation flowed like butter. She is a pro on the mic. I think you're going to like this one.

Busy Phillips, welcome to the show. This is the skinny confidential, him and her. You have been in the public eye for a long time and you're always managing to reinvent yourself. How do you do that? Well, I mean, I don't consider it reinvention, I guess. But I do try to follow things that are interesting to me. And I suppose, like, in terms of my career, I've always been interested in lots of different ways in which to essentially story tell, right? So, like, that was always kind of what was the driving force for me to be an actor, was that I loved that part of it. And so then I just think it kind of, like, informs all of the other, you know, areas that I have ended up working in, and whether it's like the talk show or

my book or writing or, you know, coming up with movies and selling those or the podcast, you know, just like all of the different ways in which I can tell stories, I guess. I just feel like every time you do something, it feels fresh. And you were on one of the biggest shows ever. And it still feels fresh with everything you do. Like you were, I feel like on Instagram, you really were one of, in my opinion, the first celebrities who really understood how to use it. Mm-hmm. Like, a lot of the celebrities, it's like, here's me all dressed up, right?

Very promotional. You were, like, in there with the audience. Yeah. I mean, it was like, I was definitely, like, a very early adopter of the form of, of, of, like, using social media to kind of show a different side of myself. but I wasn't thinking of it in that way, I guess, at the time. Like so, I mean, because it was a long time ago. Yeah, I mean, the Instagram stories thing was sort of a wild period in my career.

And it was a real turning point in terms of like the trajectory of my career because it wasn't planned, but it felt like it was a moment where I think a lot of celebrities and a lot of actors that I was friends with at the time. genuinely thought I was insane for the way that I was sharing my life and how vulnerable I was being with the audience. I just, I'm a little bit older than you. And I grew up watching the real world. Yeah, we grew up watching the real world. Okay, okay. And I just loved it so much. And I feel like that period of time when Instagram stories started, like literally like right when they started, I was like, oh, I know what to do with this. This is the real world. You know? and I am kind of just in life in general.

I am. I do tend to be, you get, you know, I am what I am, like what you see is what you get kind of a person, just always, my whole life. And I think that really translated. And so like this idea of like authenticity and that I was able to like show this side of myself, it didn't seem like I was trying to do anything.

Like I wasn't trying to do anything. It was just me. living my life and kind of showing all of the different sides of what it was. And yeah, people really responded to it. Also, I was in a period of time. Like, you're now a mom of young kids. And I was a mom of really young kids. And I felt, you know, it was sort of the advent of social media and sharing and like influencers didn't exist. Like that word didn't even really exist. Barely existed, truly. And I felt so isolated. and alone. And, you know, Bertie turned 17 in August. And when I had her and she was a baby,

there was no way I could connect to other moms. There were some blogs that were out there. But it really did feel isolating to be a working mom. And even once she started school, I still really struggled. And then I think, you know, sort of the freedom and like we all know what social media at its worst can be. But at its best, it really allowed me and I think a lot of other women to connect and feel seen and heard and know that our struggle wasn't just our own, that we were all kind of like in it dealing with the same things. For Michael, what, what was the first story that you posted, Instagram story, she started storytelling through Instagram story in a real way. What was something that you saw that resonated with the audience that you were like,

oh, wow, people do want me to open up? I mean, there were so many in that, like, in the early days of it. There was the Uber one. I was going to say, I was going to say the Uber one was like a big deal. What happened on the Uber one? I mean, that was also the early days of Uber, too, by the way. My now ex-husband and I had gone out with some people in Hollywood, and we had had some tequila. Nice. And we were getting an Uber home, and we had this scariest situation happen where it couldn't have been the Uber that we ordered. It was like a black car that came, you know, an SUV. And we got in, and it seemed like my door was closed, but it wasn't quite closed.

yet, then God. And a guy popped up from the third row behind us and said, be cool and everything will be okay. And I immediately started screaming and, like, kicked the door open. By the way, I didn't need to kick the door open. I had, the door wasn't fully closed yet. But I like, was like, like screaming. So we did the exact opposite of what he said. Yeah, well, by the way, I watched enough Oprah to know. I'm not going to a secondary location. No, no, no. No. What? You never go to the secondary location. Absolutely not. And anytime anyone is telling you to be cool and everything is going to be okay, it's not

going to be okay. I'm just here to tell you, not going to be okay. And so we like get, Mark like follows me out of the car. We're like on the street and the driver got out and was like, it's not what you think. It's not what you think. And I was like, I don't know what I think. I start like running back down. It was pretty late, like running back down toward the restaurant that we had been at, which

was closing, but at least I knew there were like staff in there. Mark was like, because he's a very rational person and was, I think, trying to like hear them out. And I was just like screaming at him. Like, get away. It was just like a very dramatic thing. And I Instagram story the whole thing. Oh, my God. And yeah, I know.

Well, there's no, like, also there's no archives of Instagram stories from back then. There were also like, I had a lot. I lived in Hollywood at the time. We had a lot of wildlife that was procreating. Which, by the way, on the archive thing, like, maybe good for that period of time. because we were all kind of figuring things out. There's probably some of this stuff that's not. Yeah, that would be fun.

I'm kind of glad to it's not there. I think that I had some great ones. Yeah. Wait, so was it actually a nefarious situation or was it just a big? They just drove away. Oh, they just drove away. Oh, they, okay. So you never found out.

And then Mark was like trying to figure it out and like canceled the one and then got another one. And then we did try to report it. I mean, this is 2016. So a lot of people were. weren't like showing up on stories as they're like themselves. And she was like actually showing you the behind the scenes. In your line of work. And I remember that period of time where there was this kind of notion from a lot of actors,

musicians celebrities, where it was like kind of almost like considered second rate to have these channels, if that made sense. Oh, no, this is what I'm saying to you. Like I had so many actor friends who reached out or would, you know, say to Mark, what is busy doing on Instagram stories? Like, why is she doing this? It's weird. It's going to ruin her career.

Like, people legitimately, I remember one actor in particular saying, I really think you should stop doing this. It's going to ruin your career. And then, on the other side, I'm friends, have been friends with for a long time, the guys from Lonely Island, you know? Yep. And Akiva, Schaffer, who's married to one of my good friends, Liz Kikowsky, I remember Kiva at a dinner party saying, I just want you to know, whatever you're doing on

Instagram stories is genius and you should keep doing it. And like those guys I love and they're super creative and outside the box thinkers, you know. And as soon as Akiva said that to me, I was like, oh, right, okay, got it. Like it is actually resonating. But also it was just, you know, the number, the sheer number of people that were watching my stories every day. It was insane. I mean, it's not the same now. Sure. But at the time it was, and I had so many fewer followers. But there just weren't, people weren't doing stories literally had just started. And I was bored. And I was not on a television show at the time.

I was, so I just made my life sort of my TV show a little bit. Yeah, I was talking to a friend and he comes from more of like traditional writing for, you know, screens. And he had this huge disdain for years about YouTubers and YouTube. And now he really regrets. He's like, man, he's like, I miss so many great writing opportunities and so many great production opportunities I could have jumped into. But he like had this thing where he like had this thing where he was. It was to him at the time not a respectable medium for his work, if that makes sense. I feel like they're projecting onto you because they're scared of change.

And so they're projecting their fear onto you because they're, they are scared that things are pivoting and changing. And so it's like by them telling you like be careful, they're actually nervous. No, but even with this like this medium, I mean, we've started, we've done it for 10 years almost. And at the beginning of it was like, what the hell is that? Like what's a podcast? Like, why? Right. And there was like, you don't go on podcast.

Right. Right. It was just like her and I in a closet talking to each other about like random things. But now I mean, it's like it's just funny how things change in a very short period of time. Yeah. Well, I think the whole landscape of media is kind of constantly ever evolving, especially with technology and the way that people consume media. But yeah, like, I just, I don't. I mean, one thing about me is that like, I don't know.

We don't know. Right. I'm like very well aware of the things that I know and the things that I know. and the things that I don't know. And I feel like we just don't know what the future is. You know what I mean? And if something speaks to you or it feels right to you, that's like the guiding principle for me is just,

I really kind of go on my gut of what feels right. Like TikTok to me is difficult. It's like not, I totally love it and I watch it and I get it from that perspective. But I haven't really like jumped into TikTok hard because it's just for me a little bit trickier. It's like for my kids. Yeah, I feel the same.

When I got pregnant, all of a sudden I couldn't go on it. I don't know. I just didn't want to go on it anymore. Oh, interesting. It was so weird. It was like, I don't know if I was being serviced like the wrong stuff. And it was just like some of it was like low vibration. I just didn't want to go on it.

And I haven't been on it since. And I have to tell you, it cuts 80% of the noise. Yeah. Because you're not like this all day. Yeah, yeah. But listen, people love it. I love TikTok and you do it amazing. I think you have to find a medium.

Yeah. And this is not great for what we all do, but I will say some of the happiest people I've met are not on social media at all. They're just like, you know, like my dad, for example, he's older and he's like never been on and he's just like he doesn't think about it. Yeah, but your dad doesn't count because he watches the news all day long. Sure, that generation watches the news. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's true. That's true. But still, you know, like, it's just, it's not even part of his world and it's interesting to observe that where he's like not on anything at all. I think that there's validity to everything in modern. Yeah. For just like everything in life, right? Like, we know that that's kind of just the way that we should all be living our lives. And I think that we can all use breaks. And we don't have to announce them publicly. We can just take a break. I just wanted to let you know I might not be on here for a while. And then they're back like four days later. I mean, we don't need to like, it's so embarrassing. Decoration. I know. Is when the people announce like unfollowing not, I'm like, you know, okay. It's not. It's not. I mean, it's not. I mean. It's not. I. It's not. I. It's not. I. I. It's. It's. I. I. It's. It's. I. airport. Okay. I'm like, okay. What are some other things that you've opened up about on social media that have resonated with your audience? I know you talked about your ADHD diagnosis. Like, what are some of those things?

I mean, yes. I think the ADHD thing was was pretty wild just because that, and, you know, look, there's like lots of articles about it now and, you know, many conversations are continuing to be had about it. But I was diagnosed later in life, honestly, at the same time as my daughter was, you know, being evaluated for like learning differences or what was going on in school. And that story is so common. I now know, especially, you know, in the last less than a decade, I suppose, especially for women because ADHD presents differently in women and girls than it does in men and boys. So that hyper, that typical hyperactivity that you would see in a little boy maybe who has ADHD in a little girl might present sort of like that hyperactivity might be going on more in her brain. And so she's not running around in circles. So it's like a little bit, you know, sometimes those, it would be missed. Like ADHD would be missed in women and girls.

But the other things are present. And then they, you know, I sort of like compensated. overcompensated and then, you know, internalized things and felt a great deal of, you know, self-shame and sort of, you know, negative self-talk about my own abilities and, and my intelligence because I wasn't good at executive functioning, you know, because I had ADHD. How did you know that it happened? Like, when you look back and you know that you have it now, how did you, like, what was the trajectory like? What do you mean? Like, you, like, you, do you, decide to take your daughter in and then like how do you know like oh there's because they go through

like a checklist and you're like literally as we were sitting there going through the checklist my ex-husband is looking at me and I'm like I know I know it's me I don't know like give me an example of something that they say I mean well there's we can look online what the checklist is but it's like do you have you know trouble completing a task like what you know and they you sort of like rate it one to five or you know do you often forget important things when you leave the house. Do you often misplace things? Do you have a hard time keeping your room clean? I mean, this is like for like kids or whatever. You know, there's like all different types of of things, but like executive functioning, you know, in terms of to-do lists and

keeping things straight, double booking yourself. So do you feel like once you kind of got that information or that diagnosis that it was helpful or harmful? Like do you feel? Oh, it was totally helpful. Okay, because you know how to. So that took the shape. name away that you were feeling. Yeah. Yeah. And I mean, I think also like Trevor Noah has spoken a lot about this too because he also has ADHD and has talked publicly about it. I think that that internalizing of it, you know, really always led for me and like kind of like just a low grade feeling of low self-worth and like low self-esteem, no matter what I was accomplishing in my life. I always felt like a little bit further behind than everyone else. And I didn't understand.

and why I felt like I was working so hard and trying so hard, and it seemed so much easier for everyone around me. My whole life, like in school, you know, the only times, you know, I have hyper-focused, too, which is like a, that's a part of ADHD. So acting was a thing that I genuinely love and am really great at. And so I can hyper-focus and just like nail it. You know what I mean? Always on time for my call time.

Like, always have my lines memorized. because I would hyper focus on it. Meanwhile, the rest of my life would, like, be just totally falling apart because I couldn't keep more than one thing sort of straight. Do I have ADHD? I mean, you might. I know what you're saying? Well, I think a lot of people probably, like, resonate with this.

Yeah. It's also, like, part of being a person, but, like, you know, that we all are tasked with, especially working mothers, specifically keeping many things straight at one time. You know what I mean? he always seems to have it like all organized and all together and I'm like what is going it's a tricky diagnosis I remember when I was a kid I was always in trouble in school but my teachers brought my family and they said okay we think this guy has ADD and he need you know a bunch of young

boys are like hyperactive and crazy but my dad was was like well I've seen this guy like sit down and really focus on things that he's really into so he kind of like didn't believe any of that sounds like the hyper focus out and you know that was it right but I think like This is, when I'm hearing you talk, it's like a tricky thing because if you can hyper focus like that and really nail it in certain areas of your life and succeed like you have, people will say like, okay, everything's fine. Great. It's almost, though, you've almost used it to your advantage and had it work for you, it seems like. Well, that's, I mean, a lot of people, you know, speaking of TikTok, but like, you know, there's a lot of that diagnosis, TikTok and diagnosis of social media. And some of it, I, when I see it, I'm like, oh my gosh, that was.

was ADD? Like, for instance, I saw this one with this person who was talking about how people with ADHD have a tendency to, like, eat the same things over and over and over again. And so, wait, listen. So I am not even kidding you. When I was like in my early 20s, I went through a period of time where every day for lunch, I ate a turkey sandwich. And part of what the, like, your brain reasoning for it, according to this TikTok, I saw guys, I'm not a doctor. is that basically the decision-making process of what to eat becomes just another thing you have to deal with. And when you have ADD, you're already trying to keep all these things straight.

So you're like, I know I like a turkey sandwich. I'm just going to eat a turkey sandwich every day. Because then I don't have to make that decision, and that's like off of my brain plate. It's like a fatigue thing. I'm like having chills the way you're describing this. I think I need to look into this. I know, but it's so, but it's like so, but I mean,

when I tell you, years. I ate a turkey sandwich every day for years for lunch because I was just like, I cannot decide. I ate a bowl of meat every day. Same thing. What kind of bowl of meat? A bowl of meat. It grows your hand. A bowl of organs. What is not just a bowl of organs? It is a bowl of organs. It's got heart and liver and all kinds of things. There's a company called Force of Nature that does like a blend of like it's a ground beef and meat, but it's got organs meat in it as well. Okay. For turkey sandwich. Wait, why? Hopefully you eat some kind of meat. Oh, grew my hair. Why I used to be like up to here?

Protein's a big thing now on this. But the point is, is like, I... People are really obsessed with protein. I've always liked protein. It's good, you need protein. We need protein, but like, really people are obsessed. Yeah, they are a little... They get a little obsessed with things, don't they?

Yeah. Yeah. Well, shows like this really kind of drive those kind of things. So, you know... Wait, I'm obsessed with your bowl of meat, though. Yeah, that's... You're going to go back and look into it, oh. That's...

I need to look... So, let me just ask you this. I know you're not a doctor. I'm just one day. casual conversation. What is the difference between ADD and ADHD? Oh, I don't know. I sort of use it interchangeably. I don't know if there is really a difference. It's sort of the same thing. So when you were going through your divorce, did you want to bring this all to Instagram or did you want to keep it off Instagram? How did you go about that because you were so open and honest with the audience?

No, I mean, I think I think that my relationship with social media has evolved as social media itself has evolved. And I think there was something much different, like in the early days of when I was doing stories. I mean, we're just in a different time now, you know? And, and I was hyper aware that things that I would say or put on my stories might end up, you know, as a story in publications. And I wanted to be really respectful of the experience that Mark and I were going through and our children and what they were experiencing and they were also like a bit older. So they would be, you know, possibly someone at their school would see it or, you know, I think as the kids have gotten older, I've had to adjust how much I share on the podcast as.

well as on social media because I think it's not fair to them. And I think in the early days of social media, we were sort of just like flying by the seat of our pants and like, we didn't know. I didn't know. I mean, I'm not even kidding you. Like when I started doing my Instagram stories and posting on Instagram, I kind of was like, this is just for my friends and then like a few fans. You know, like I didn't really, it wasn't the thing that it then became. And. You know, I don't, I wouldn't say that I like regret sharing my kids online, but I do sort of in retrospect wish that I had had, I don't know, had not shared so much possibly of them. I just think that they deserve to like have their own experience. Quick break to talk about Just Thrive.

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Again, that's Squarespace.com slash skinny. One thing about me is I love decluttering. Like there's nothing I love more. I love my space to be tranquil and peaceful. And that includes my closet. it. So what I do is every single month I go through my closet and I do like a judge. And I take everything that I'm not wearing or not using and I sell it. And I sell it on The Real Real. I first was introduced through The Real Real because I was a buyer. So I was buying like little coin purses and some really

great shoes or like a shirt that had sold out. And I started to realize, oh my God, I can use this platform also to sell. It's a great resell platform. It's also a great place to shop, like I said. The Real Real is attainable luxury that upgrades your personal style. They have up to 90% off retail. I have found things on there that are Gucci, Fendi, Prada, Chanel, all kinds of really great brands. And the best part is everything the Real Real sells is authenticated in person by luxury and fashion experts. So if you're looking to sell or you're looking to buy, this is a good one. for you. The Real Real is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. With thousands of new arrivals daily, no one does resell like The Real Real.

And this month, you can get an extra $100 site credit when you sell for the first time. Go to the realreel.com slash skinny to get your extra $100. That's the realreel.com slash skinny. That's the realreel.com slash skinny. We were all kind of the first generation to kind of experiment with the... things. There's no playbook. I think I always empathize with the parents like you who had kids and older generations that were like the first skinny pigs to go through this with phones and on social because I imagine it's really challenging like kids have phones now. Kids are taking. We didn't have any of that. Our generation with younger, you're going to kind of see like, okay, how did that first group handle

this and what did they do right and what should have they not have done? I think it's an important conversation because at that time for younger people they don't see this. But nobody had the playbook or the advice on how to manage any of this. Right. And it felt very accepting at the time. Yeah. You had the community there. Now you don't really know who's following and how and what the intention is.

That's right. That's what I mean. Like in that early day, like I felt like it was really a community and it was really support. It felt very supportive. It would be rarely bad comments. Yes. And I think that the whole landscape kind of shifted.

And yeah, I mean, I think we were all trying to figure it out. And also I would say that I do feel like intuitively or not, I never shared anything, even though there were things that were going on in my kids' lives that were tough. I never shared anything from their lives that could possibly, that in my estimation now, this is like, this is where it's like they're their own people, right? But in my estimation, nothing that I shared when they were younger would be something that, you know, could be embarrassing to them later in life, you know. But again, they're their own people. So they get to decide what was embarrassing or not embarrassing for me to have shared. In terms of Bertie, you know, Bertie's very, my older daughter was always very much, well, she's always been like hyperverbal and really smart. and I mean, both my kids are very smart, but really expressive. And Bertie always was very specific of like, I would like for you to share this.

I don't want you to. You know, yeah. And like, and my younger daughter, Cricket a couple years ago was like, I do not want to be on your Instagram at all, period, full stop. And I was like, great. You don't have to be on my Instagram ever again. Like, that's great. Isn't it weird how they're so different? They're so different. And it is funny sometimes when like people leave comments.

It's like, I know who your favorite child is. It's very clear. I'm like, do you? Okay. But that's what I'm saying. Like, all right. Those kind of comments are the new age social, right? Right.

Exactly. You didn't get them in the past. I mean, that's, yeah, just not. Everyone knows my favorite child is my dog. I'm kidding. How have you managed to co-parents so successfully? What are the tips for people who are listening? Like through divorce?

Yeah. Well, I really love Mark. Yeah, it seems like you have like a very good relationship with him. Yeah, he's awesome. I wouldn't be like this, just so you know. Well, I don't know that. And you don't know that.

You don't know how you would be. I mean, how many months postpartum right now? Yeah. Let's not make the decision right now. Yeah, let's not talk about it right now. Okay. Because you're not even, you know, I think you're pretty cool how you are. It seems like you guys are pretty cool with each other.

Yeah, well, we did a lot of therapy for many, many years. before we even separated. Got it. And like the therapy that the couples therapy. I'm a huge. I don't like religiously watch couples therapy that show, but I do love it. I love to dip in and out of it. And I do just love that I hope that it's normalizing couples therapy at all stages of

relationships because I think that there's so much value in finding a person that can help you find a common language with your partner because it's hard, you know, like it's under the best of circumstances. Like, and then you add all of the kids and the craziness and career and, you know, upset and turmoil and taking people for granted and whatever, you know, into the mix. And then it's just becomes and just like life, like the mundane parts of life. And it can be really difficult. So I think, you know, I'm a big believer in couples therapy. And I do think that Mark and I both look at our relationship as very successful, even though we ended one part of it, which was the romantic part of our relationship. And, like, ultimately we want the other person to be happy

and fulfilled and be living their truest life, you know? It's very evolved, busy. It's a very healthy perspective, too. It's healthy. Well, I think that Mark is what I really love about him is that I think that he's very much a person who, you know, is as down to dismantle the patriarchy as I am. And I think a lot of our belief systems about the way that it looks when heteronormative relationships end is deeply rooted in like a patriarchal society. and the idea that partnerships are actually ownerships when, in fact, they're not. And he never had ownership over me and I never had ownership over him. And we came to the conclusion of our romantic partnership together

entered into a new phase that at times was messy and feelings were hurt. And it was hard, but we did a lot of work to make sure that our kids didn't see too much of that. And that we were able to forgive one another continuously. It's a process. I was like mad at him the other day. And like, you know, and he apologized. And I was like, okay, I appreciate that. Thank you.

You know, like we continue to have this, you know, conversation that's kind of ongoing. We're not like in therapy anymore. But but I think that part of that idea of like once one person is like, wait, I don't know if I'm in this. in the same way anymore, there are going to be hurt feelings and it's going to not feel great. And then the challenge becomes if you have children and you want to maintain a relationship with this person, I mean, I think you owe it to your children to do it. That was like my feeling was always like, we owe it to them and can't get bogged down in our own weirdness. Because ultimately at the end of the day, like, life is so short.

How have you managed to stay like so down to earth and real? You can like you get it when you when you talk to you in Hollywood because it's very it's a it's a very it's a different energy than a lot of Hollywood to me. Well, I mean, I don't really hang out a lot of people from Hollywood I guess so much. I mean, Michelle Williams is like one of my best friends, but obviously she is one of my closest friends of all time. but she is also similarly, like, very grounded and down to earth and really family-focused. And I don't know. I think it's just kind of who I am. And I think there are a ton of people in Hollywood that are like that.

I just like, in any industry, you have, you know, people that are not chill. Yeah. And like, not real. Yeah. You know. But I just try to gravitate towards people that have the same kind of energy as I do and not really waste my time. It's, I mean, it's a full-time job. It is.

I want to talk about your early acting because everyone would, we have to talk about that and how we're bringing it full circle to today. Oh, yeah. When did you get your big break on Dawson's Creek? Like, what was the moment that you knew that this was going to. change your whole life. Well, I don't know if I mean, you know, it's so funny. So I had done, you know, Freaks and Geeks was the first TV show that I did. And I was 19. I was a sophomore in college and got cast on that show. And it was, you know, NBC. It felt like that was going to change my life, you know. And then we started doing press for the show. And, you know, it was James

Franco and Jason Segal and Linda Cardalini and, you know, John Francis Daly and Judd Apatow and Paul Fieg and, you know, it really, and Seth Rogen and it just really felt like... Yeah, that show launched a lot of people. Yeah, it launched all, like, it was crazy. Was that a fun set? Yeah, it was so fun. I mean, it was so fun. And doing the press for the show, everyone was saying, like, this is the best new show of the season.

That's cool. This and the West Wing were like the two new best shows of the season. And then, you know, and I was sort of like, well, this is it. Like, I'm going to, like, it's going to happen, you know. know. And then it just did not. Like, no one watched the show. Like, the ratings were bad. We kind of always knew that it was like NBC didn't think it was a hit. We were sort of, we got the back order for the, you know, back, it's like a back nine, but I think they only gave us seven. And, you know, we were just sort of like chugging along, but it really felt like no one knew who we were. It wasn't a hit.

When you say back nine, is that how they used to structure the deals. Like, you get a season. if it does okay, then they'll give you. On a network show that used to be that they would do like, they would order for a new show, they would order 13 episodes for the fall. So they would start with 13. And then they would give you an order for the back nine if the show was successful.

So that that would be like a full. Yeah. So that would be like a full season of a show. Like on Cougar Town, for instance, we got the first 13 episodes when we premiered. And then they ordered 10, I think, because we did a lot that first season on ABC. But then the second season, they did like the full season order, so 22 episodes.

Okay. But that was like the old structure of network TV. That doesn't, I don't even know if that exists anymore. I think they just green light right off the bat now. Well, they do it. Like they just do the whole season, right? I think they still do 13, like for a lot of shows. But they also do, you know, like they'll only do 13 episodes.

Did you guys skyrocket to the moon with Dawson's Creek? Or did it look like that from the outside looking in? Well, those kids do. for sure. I mean, they were, I joined, so I did Freaks and Geeks. I did that season of Freaks and Geeks where it was like, I thought things were going to be one way. It just clearly didn't happen. And then that next year of my life, after that show was canceled, I mean, I was really sort of let down and couldn't believe, like, I really thought that it was going to be a whole thing, you know? And I did some, like, I did like an indie movie. I did like a made for TV movie. I was just like,

trying to work. I thought about going back to college for a second and I was going to and then got another job and then got a call that they were, that the Dawson's Creek, look, producers were adding a couple new characters because the kids were going to college. They wanted me to come in and read and then test for this new series regular part to be Joey Potter's roommate at college. And I mean, Dawson's Creek was, yeah, they were, they had skyrocketed. That was maybe a year or two before freaks and geeks that show had premiered. Yeah, it was like the cover of Rolling Stone. They were the cover of entertainment. They were, they were hugely, hugely successful. You know, James had done varsity blues and Josh was in whatever the horror movie was.

And Katie was starring in, you know, Ice Storm and Michelle was in Dick. Like they were like huge stars, those kids. And so it was like a little intimidating from that perspective, but I wasn't fan of the show. Like I hadn't really watched it. And by I hadn't really watched, I had never seen it when I got the part. Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. I know. It's really strange. I remember where I was sitting watching you on the screen. Really? Like, oh my gosh. I remember thinking, oh my gosh, she's so pretty. Oh, that's so nice. And like it added like it added a layer to the show when you came on, in my opinion. So when you get around all these people that are so famous, you said it was intimidating were they all welcoming and nice and cool and down to earth yeah i actually met james first

like right when i landed in wilmington and i was taken to the hotel that they were putting me up at to start with before i like got an apart like found an apartment and stuff to live in and i met james and he was staying in the hotel too because his house i think he had rented his house out for the summer or something and it wasn't like he couldn't go back yet and he was so kind and really like, I hear great things and I'm super excited to work with you and really lovely. And then Michelle happened to be across the street at the convenience market getting some, I don't even remember what, like I don't know, picking some things up. And she was heading to her apartment and she walked across the street and I met her. I mean, Wilmington, North Carolina

at the time was like a very small town. It's like 2001. This is the summer of 2001. Yeah, and I met Michelle, and like we sort of instantly were just like, okay, well, we're going to hang out all the time. You know, like, let's just sit down and. And did your life change after that completely? No. Really? No, yeah. No, it didn't.

No, it really didn't. Oh, my gosh. I feel that show was like, like that was the show. It was, but like it also was like it was the college years. So I think, you know, sort of that skyrocket moment had really happened already for them. And, you know, now it was like very clearly like it was like the last two years of the show. And it wasn't that it wasn't hugely popular. And I mean, it was.

And tons of people watched it. But yeah, I just, it wasn't like a noticeable shift. and in terms of, you know, auditions or parts or things. Look, it had already exploded on the scene. It had, yeah. And so for me coming into it, also, again, like the internet didn't really exist. So, I mean, and by the way, kind of thank God, because I was sort of a mess. But it wasn't like, you know, I don't know, there weren't people writing about how awesome I was on the show or something.

Like, it wasn't, I didn't even really, I didn't really feel like it made. It was Dawson's Creek in another show, but I can't remember the other show. What was the other... Felicity? No, there was another show. It was Dawson's Creek and... Yes, and it's going to... I don't know if it was on the WB.

Oh. But there was... Those were like the two shows to watch, and I forgot what the other one was. I only remember Dawson's Creek. Oh, no. So how does it... Well, thank God for this interview you're at least remember. Gillian, it's going to drive me nuts what the other show was, if you think of it.

Well, how do you guys decide now to bring all of this sort of... like back and like reactivate the reading that you're doing. Oh, well, okay. So James Vanderbeak found out that he had cancer. And he has six children. And they have six kids. Yeah, he and Kimberly have six kids. And he, you know, revealed that quite some time ago now, I guess, was it December or January last year. And, or this year, January, this year, December last year. You know, that sort of like brought us kind of all back together. Michelle and I obviously are very, very close friends, and we've remained super, super tight friends for all of these years. We all saw each other, I mean, probably like seven years ago now to do this entertainment weekly cover, like special reunion issue.

But, you know, we reached out to James. I mean, I reached out to James. I know Michelle reached out to James. And, you know, we've seen Katie over the years. Michelle seen Katie, but like we haven't stayed in super close contact Josh. Also I, Josh and I are, you know, we text every once in a while, but like everybody lives such disparate lives and we have all these other things going on. Josh Jackson, you know, he lost his home in the fires in Los Angeles last year. And so, you know, at that point, I was reaching out to him a lot and making sure that he

was okay. So after James, you know, revealed his diagnosis and we all sort of were like, what can we, can we do something like we should do something like let's just do something Michelle really was the one that kind of led the charge and just was like busy I just really feel like we have to we have to get together and we should do like a fundraiser and it can benefit you know Greg Burlanti who was one of the showrunners of Dawson's Creek he's like on the board of F cancer organization she's like we can benefit F cancer and we can benefit like you know a fund for James's kids and you know, we should just try to put something together. And she really, really has like led the charge. And so we tried to do it earlier like in the spring and schedules just didn't work out. And we're going to do it,

yeah, on September 22nd at the Richard Rogers Theater on Broadway. And ticket sales have been insane. It sold out in like 12 minutes. Wow. And a lot of people are asking for it to be streamed, live streamed, but, you know, I was talking to all the people that are involved. I mean, this is kind of like a huge undertaking. Like, there's producers and people from the theater, and it's like, you know, who are helping coordinate. And the Richard Rogers Theater is where Hamilton is. It's where Hamilton's performed. So we're doing it on Monday night because Broadway is dark on Monday nights. And it's my understanding. We can't actually do a live stream because of like what the cost of that would be. So I know that there are going to be filming parts of

it. And like, hopefully we'll be able to like put together something that'll, like, or date and so that people who aren't able to make it are going to be able to see some of it. Are you guys reenacting a, like you guys today or is it you reading an old script from back in the day? I don't even know, Danny, am I like even allowed to say what is happening? Or is it a surprise? Yeah, I think it's a surprise. Okay, so we're in for a surprise. Well, there are some surprises. I know. Are there any tickets left? I feel like people could figure out that streaming thing. And there's a raffle, though, that's happening for tickets now, which somebody was very angry with me about online the other day. And I was like, I mean, I'm not doing it. What I mean, this is all going to charity anyway. It's like 100% of the proceeds are going to charity. So someone online will always find something to be mad about. I know they were upset because they had like spent a lot of money. And then they're like, and now you're just raffling off tickets for $25. I was like, yeah, but you don't spend $25. You don't know if you're going to win. You know what I mean? Like you, there's no guarantee that you're getting a ticket, babe.

Sometimes you just can't explain stuff. You can always enter the raffle. Somebody will win and it's possible that they maybe just spent $25 on raffle tickets. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Who knows? Sometimes you just can't win online. Yes, well, ain't that the truth.

How do you think about social media today and how do you show up on social media? I mean, I feel like I'm so bad at it now. So you don't want to like story tell through stories anymore like you did. I do sometimes. Yeah, like I do. I do. I do enjoy it. But I just feel like I have so many other things that are happening in my life that I have to focus on. And I really, and you know, I've never had anyone do my social media for me. So I've never had anyone post for me. I don't have a social media manager. Like, I don't have a person who's like, you know what you should do? You should do some like cooking videos or whatever. And we'll come over and film a bunch of content for you and then we'll upload it. Like I know a lot of actors and celebrities that do that kind of content creation. I don't have someone who's filming things for me and then giving me the content, like, later.

And I was really lucky because my ex-husband Mark is kind of an amazing photographer. And so for so long, I had just like the best pictures to post. That's hard to get a divorce from. I mean, honestly, I always am like, I'm sad that I divorced my Instagram husband. I'm not a very good photographer at all. The worst.

It's the worst. I know. It was a real bummer. On my second marriage, one of the requirements is you have to be an incredible photographer. Now I feel much more vulnerable in this relationship. You are. You are.

I think you need to work on your skills, sir. You know what? I set the bar so low in the beginning because I knew if I was good, if I developed that skill, it would be, like, that's what I would become. By the way, I've taken so many amazing photos of you and you're like, send me all of them

and you're like posting yourself. I get literal jack shit. You take some blurry photo with a dirty lens. It's horrible. It's also funny, though, too. kind of. I see some of these guys that are the photographers and it's it's a tough gig I think. I think it's a tough gig. Mark always liked it because he

loves, he genuinely loves taking pictures. But yeah, but like it's so funny. I do feel like I said to him at some point like during our separation you know, early on at one point I was like, oh I think you're like over me. The pictures aren't good anymore. And I was just like that I was like, but that's real. Like I feel like that's real. He still takes the most beautiful pictures of our children. So at least I benefit from that, even if I'm not posting them online.

But like, yeah, he really, I remember the turn. I like remember when I was like, oh yeah, you don't see me that way anymore. Like it's really kind of special. The photos are a reflection of his adoration. And that's, I think it was. I mean, I really think it was. Huh. I know.

Interesting. How do you think about everything you're doing now? What are the buckets that you're putting your energy into? Oh my gosh, so many buckets. I mean, my kids, my teenagers, I know before we started and you were like, I think once they're a little bit older, it'll be so much easier. I don't feel better. I know.

And the truth is it's hard in a different way. Yeah. And they demand it's challenging in new ways because you want to make sure that you're there for them and you're able to like be supportive and also meet them where they're at, but also not meet them as like a peer because that's weird. Yeah. And provide them with safe boundaries, but also know that like at a certain point age 17, like she's making decisions on her own that I'm not going to be involved in.

And she may or may not even tell me about. And I have to feel good about how Mark and I have parented her up till this point to know that she's going to be making the best choices she can make. That's so hard. It is so hard. That's hard. Like whereas when you're, when you have the baby, right?

Like your brain is always like, we're keeping this baby alive, we're keeping this baby alive. Like I'm keeping track of all of these different things that we need all the time to protect my children, right? It's a similar piece of your brain, but you, there's no,

there's no practical outlet for it. You can't, like, you can't baby proof the outlets. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, it sounds like black and black and white. You have to just know that like, theoretically, you baby proofed the outlets, emotionally, hopefully, so that they're strong enough to move into this very confusing,

very difficult, complicated time in their lives and in the world. It's hard. Yeah, and also teaching them how to manage social media with that. Oh, yeah. I mean, I can't imagine being a 17-year-old girl and having like the internet how it is now. It's a lot. It's intense. You have to really have to really have so many. I'm more concerned. I have to tell you, just personally, just in watching it. And I I think it shifts. I think it'll just be different for your kids too. For me, I think that like really where a lot, where I saw a lot of parents kind of falter fall off the cliff, the conversation was always open in our house about social media because of my job and my presence. I saw a lot of parents not deal with it early enough. What do you mean? Like, I mean parents saying things like, well, my kids just not going to have social media until their ex-age. And it's like, baby, your kid is playing Roblox. They have social media.

What is Roadlocks? Everyone talks about this. It's a game. I know exactly what you're saying. The kids can, like, talk to other kids through Roblox. And, like, you have to have these conversations at, like, age 8 and 9, not wait until they're teenagers. They need to start learning what's appropriate to say and post and communicate. and communicate online when they're like younger.

That was where I saw a lot of my peers as parents have a little bit of a disconnect where they're like, well, my kid's not even going to have a phone until middle school. It's exactly like sex, though, isn't it? Yes, correct. It's like when we were young, our parents are like, well, I'm not going to talk to her about sex because she's 13 years old. And it's like, no, actually, they're already doing sexual things at 13 years old. You need to have the conversation at like probably 20 years old.

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Oh, totally. Where, like, if you take someone like my dad, who again, he's never been on it, he doesn't even know what advice to give because he doesn't even understand what's going on on the platforms to begin with, and then the kids get a hold of it. And, like, he can't, like, you could have never given me advice on how to manage this thing because he's never used the thing. Right. But if you're in it day and day out and you understand, like, how the comments, right?

And you can also, this is a weird thing. I was thinking about another lens. You can kind of get the temperature of the internet and what's going on and what's, like happening in the moment, if that makes sense. If you're in it, you're like, hey, like, you know, there's a lot of crazy stuff going on right now. It's like, hey, maybe take a beat for a second. You know, like one thing that I feel like I said to Bertie very early on, and I've said to cricket now as well very early on, was this idea of like, here's the thing, kid.

Like, in life, once you see something, you can never unsee it. And it's in your brain forever. And there are just things in this world that you don't want to have in your brain. I'm just telling you, you just don't. That's very good advice. And like, you know, we're talking today, which this will air in a few weeks, but the day after something really horrific happened that was all over social media. And there's no way to protect yourself sometimes as an adult from seeing really horrific imagery. Is you right?

You can't unsee that stuff. You cannot unsee. It's in your brain forever and you don't need it. I'm telling you you don't need it. And so you have to be. very, very careful and vigilant. And, you know, like you said earlier, every kid is different. And, like, that message to Bertie was like, yes. Like, she really older kid, like first daughter or whatever. Like, she was like, yes. Cricket, I can tell is a little bit more of like, but what if I see it?

You know what I mean? Like, maybe I saw it. You know, and that's, and then you have to, you have to, like, meet them there. You have to meet your kid where they are there and say, like, okay, so what did you, you end up seeing that thing? And what did what happened? And how did it make you feel? And are you right about it? Do you have to have that conversation at this point? Of course. Of course. And the other thing that I did that like is just such a bummer is that I watched every YouTuber that they liked both of my children. I cannot tell you about the television show the bear because I've missed all of the seasons. But I can tell you about kids. But I can tell you about Kaylin and Weston Corey, my daughter's favorite YouTubers. And I can tell you about a bunch of other

YouTubers, Veronica and Kyle, love them, shout out. And he's just watching them to make sure that it's like, you want to see what's going on. You want to understand what they're watching. It's not just that. It's like, yes, 100%. Because I think also when they were like a little bit younger and starting to watch YouTube, I think there's a lot that gets put in to subliminal shit. Well, just like, you just have to watch it. And I'm saying like, it's a lot. of, I think that a lot of parents sort of use it as a little bit of a babysitter. And I think that that's the biggest mistake because obviously, like, you can't course correct messaging or things that don't align with what you believe in your home. If, like, your kids, you think

these boys are watching just a thing about cool cars and then it's Andrew Tate. You know what I mean? Like, that's like, that was the thing with my older daughter was really like that era of where the, the middle school boys were like, he's all about like money and cars. Like, yeah, middle school boys like money and cars. And guess what else they were getting? A lot of misogyny and horrible, horrible rhetoric about how women are possessions and they're yours to take. And, you know, we had like lots of conversations with the school about it because Bertie was coming home and telling us like, these boys are like obsessed with Andrew Tate and da-da-da-da-da. And I talked to one of the parents. And they were like, I don't know what that is.

I don't know who that is. And like, will your send us? So how'd they see that? Because it's, I mean, listen. What do you mean? It's on YouTube. I mean, how do they not see it? And TikTok.

And then it would just go to. He does car. Like he was like, look at my cars. Look at the thing. Look at the money. It's all a grind and like you're going to grind and you're going to make money. And then also, also all of these other horrible, horrible ideological ideas. that were like getting put into it.

That's wild. You have to be like, as a parent. It's like so many hats to put on. You're really an octopus. It's like a detective. I mean, you were lucky if you were,

you got to be a cook. If you were lucky, you would find like a dirty magazine in the bushes. That was about it. I know. It's, now you can find everything. I feel like that's a very like specific story.

You found dirty magazines in the bushes. No. No, it's not. It's not. It's not. not. I, so many men that I know and I'm friends with were like, yeah,

yeah. Behind the Circle K, there was like a dumpster and you knew that like behind the dumpster there would be like, I have another friend who in the woods, they were like, you find a dirty magazine in the woods. There was a cachet. I don't know if it was like a community thing that everyone was like, you might need this at

some point. It's like a library in the woods. Yes, I swear to you, I have heard this story from so many dudes. And then you had like the secret BHS type of you were lucky, like you had like one tape? Well, I remember my sister was obsessed with George Michael, the singer. I mean, obviously. And she got the VHS of I Want Your Sex, which was like a music video, guys, it was not a

porn. Yeah. But we literally thought it was like watching porn. Like we did not know, but we were like. Remember back of the day you would have the last on the remote control and you'd be like up at night in the middle of the night and it'd be like Cinemax or HBO or whatever was on. And then someone walking to hit last. goes back to like an infomercial. Oh my god, that is really funny. Now I don't, but black.

Did you just be like beat your meet to HBO and press last when your mom walks in? And then you stay home from school and it would be like Jerry Springer. You'd be like six years old and people would be screaming and throwing chairs at each other. Like that's what we grew up on. It was wholesome at the time. Yeah. Dirty magazine Jerry Springer. I mean, there is something to be said for that. I mean, there is definitely something to be said for that. I think what you said though about talking to your kids before it happens or early instead of I'm just going to, I'm just going to talk to my kids about sex when they start having sex. No, but it's, it's, it's, you need to talk about it before.

It's a really, they have context. It's a crazy thing, though, because I was talking to another friend of mine who's got older kids, and he's saying that the problem is that if you get, you know, you see even pornography on the internet, like what a young kid thinks is supposed to be a sexual experience is then so revved up. Stretched. That then when they have a real one, it's like what, this is what they think that's what it's supposed to be, because how hardcore, whatever the stuff.

And he said, you have to like really just be mindful of that stuff because we didn't have access to it. And so... Right. That was the... That's the other conversation, especially you guys have boys. Like, you really have to talk to them about porn. And like, it's... I know. No one wants to do it. No one wants to talk to their parents about porn and nobody wants to talk to their children about porn. And you have to. I thought that my boys were just going to, like, stare at photos of me. As long as I don't have to talk to them about porn. When I, like, I had star shots... I don't have to, but you, someone has to talk to your daughter about porn. I'm going to have a rough time. I'm going to have, I'm going to struggle with that. We're going to become Amish and just... Well, they get a rum spring of honey, so you know what I mean?

Okay. Yeah, the Amish, I feel like I have a lot of kids in the family. They're having fun. The Amish are, the rum spring is the year that they get before they like fully commit their lives to being Amish. So it's like, I think it's like they're 19 years old or something. There's a really good documentary about it. Perfect age for a rum spring. And they spend an entire, they get like at least a year. Some of them take longer and they just go wild. I think I had like a six year rum tringer. That's what I might have. Yeah. You may have. I hope you got it out of your system before we got married. Six year one. What does it take to date you at this point? Oh my God. What a transition. I love a transition.

From hardcore porn to what is it? Like what is what is like your requirements where you're like, you have to be single and not married? Okay. That's someone else. That's a good one. Check. Check. No, you guys you would be shocked at like at this point how many married men like hit me up.

Like on like Raya or like on DM or what? No, no, no. I mean if they're on Raya. Yeah. Now, I mean, there are like a lot of people who are like ethically non-monogamous or whatever. Dr. Drew said that doesn't work. I don't know. I mean, who knows what works for anyone?

I don't know. I mean, I think I'm very wary of people who make blanket statements is what I would say. Yeah, I feel like I'm saying. Everyone's different. Everyone's different. I don't know if I've ever known it to work for anyone, but like maybe it does. I don't know. So I'm open to whatever people.

Mary men are coming into your GMs. Well, it has happened, yes. But I'm just saying, I'm just saying you have to be. single. Okay. And I don't know. I like, you know. Public person or non-public person, better or worse? Or it doesn't matter. I don't think I've ever really, I mean, I don't if I've really ever dated someone who's like public person, maybe. I don't know. Or sort of, I guess. I guess I have sort of. I actually never thought I had a type. And now I realize, like, I do actually sort of have a type, which is just like I like very intelligent men who are funny,

generally like have a good sense of humor and are creative and and I generally like men who are writers or who work like in this industry in my industry just for a lot of reasons but I think like I just you know I need to be able to do bits with them and they also have to be a photographer that's not as important anymore I'm okay with it not of not having a photographer boyfriend or Instagram boyfriend or husband but you know, I'm okay with that. What does the next chapter of your life look like? I don't know.

Well, like, what are the, are you going to be concentrating on writing? Is it, like, more social? Like, what's, what's the cocktail? I think it's sort of every, I think I'm hopeful that I'm able to, like, continue doing lots of different things. We need another book. I think I need to write another book. Yeah.

I've been working on some stuff. Yes, thank you. It was very successful. Were you, like, surprised or did you know it was going to be that successful? I felt like it was going to be really successful. Yeah. I feel like it's got to be very high up on the Amazon chart. So we need another book.

Oh, that's nice. I mean, it's been so many years now. I definitely feel like I need to write another book. And I would like to do that, but I need to find the time for that. You know, I really Girls Viva reminded me how much I love acting. And so I'm very excited to like do some more acting. But I also am writing things for myself to star in. and then I have another movie that I'm working on

that would be for myself to direct that I would not be in. You're good on a mic. Yes. I mean, we are sort of taking a break on the podcast for now just because for a myriad of reasons. And I have the QVC Plus talk show still. So I'm filming some more episodes of that later this month. And there'll be like holiday specials that'll be coming out soon. And then I'm producing.

I'm one of the co-producers of this off-Broadway play called Ginger Twinsies. That's a parody of the parent trap. It's really, really funny and wild and hilarious. For young or old, like, could you bring, like, your kids to it? No. It's like a little adult in tone and nature. And I'm also one of the producers of an off-Broadway play at Playwright's Horizons called Nothing Can Take You from the Hand of God.

That starts previews October 2nd and stars Jennifer Tullick from severance. It's a one-woman show and it's really brilliant. She wrote it with this playwright Frank Winters. That's like her writing partner and I'm thrilled about that. So like I'm doing a lot of different things and I like them all. That's fine. And then I've got these kids, you know, demanding a lot for me. I thought I was going to be done at 15. No, honey. They just, it just changes, you know. But like Bertie just last weekend or the weekend before. So she's, I do like that my kids like get into old shows. They really like old shows.

And so Bertie's new old show is Arrested Development. Oh, it's a great show. And so we literally spent like hours on the sofa, you know? Like there's that too. Like it's like you just get to hang with your kid. And it's like a great hang. She's fun. She's funny.

We post-made some food. We're watching Arrested Development. It's a special chapter. Yeah, it's really nice. There's like a lot of times. there's like the complicated hard stuff and then also you get like that stuff which is great. Busy Phillips. Thank you for coming on the show. Where can everyone find you? Where can everyone, if they can live stream it, check out what you're doing with Dawson's Creek? Yes. Yes. I mean,

check the socials for all the information on that and then the KVC Plus talk show. You can watch all the episodes on QVC Plus. It's called Busy This Week. And we have like incredible, we've had incredible gas. I mean, David Letterman and Rosie O'Donnell. And I mean, I'm hopeful that Oprah will come on at some point. I just got to get Oprah on. Yes, let's manifest it. And you can buy everything on the, yeah, like, it's sort of like we don't sell stuff outright on the show. But like, yeah, like a lot of the stuff that you see you can buy. I always am wearing stuff that's available on KVC. Smart. And yeah, it's cool. It's actually like really. the most fun and I love it so much and they've been wonderful partners so thank you for diagnosing me

with ADHD on the show I'm not a doctor I'm not a doctor I'm going to go down a rabbit hole thank you for coming on yeah thanks guys it was so great to talk to you that was fun thank you so sweet