Busy Philipps had an emotional affair and almost left her husband — but Michelle Williams helped talk her out of it
In her new memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, Busy Philipps isn’t afraid to call out foes in Hollywood — looking at you, James Franco — but she’s equally forthcoming about private issues in her own life. One chapter details an emotional affair that Philipps carried on with “another dad,” causing her almost to leave her marriage.
Philipps reveals that her relationship with Marc Silverstein hit a rough patch after the birth of their first child, Birdie. The Dawson’s Creek alum called her screenwriter husband “useless,” writing that he “didn’t even try” to hold their daughter, now 10, when she was born.
“Marc was still going to his Lakers games and to watch football with his friends on Sundays,” she recalls, admitting that she felt like she was “going to officially lose [her] mind” from the pressures of being a mom.
The 39-year-old actress sought comfort elsewhere. “There was a man I was friends with, another dad. We’d been having lunch and stuff. Texting. Talking on the phone a lot,” she writes. “Honestly, I had a crush on him. I liked him. Maybe I even loved him? He clearly liked me too.”
Everything culminated in her working up the courage to ask Silverstein — whom she wed in 2007 — for a divorce at the end of 2016. He was apparently “shocked” and asked for another chance.
Although one friend encouraged Philipps to follow her heart, Michelle Williams advised her BFF to work on her marriage. “It would be really awful for two years and then you would find a new normal but honestly, if you can keep your family intact, I think you should do it,” Williams told Philipps. The actress’s therapist also warned her that “divorce f***s up children,” which resonated with the star.
Philipps and Silverstein — who also share a 5-year-old daughter, Cricket — entered couples therapy, and he began individual sessions as well. The actress ultimately confessed to her emotional affair, as she writes: “I know. That part is so s****y. I’m sorry. I really am. …
“Marc had recently had what I guess is called a breakthrough, and when I finally came clean about the other dude, he was weirdly understanding about it,” she writes. Silverstein reassured her that he loved her and apologized for how he had made her feel. “It’s hard to explain it exactly, but he broke open in a way and totally changed the way he related to everyone, not just me.”
The couple ultimately persevered, and they celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary over the summer.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
