Busy Philipps has a new movie coming out April 20th, I Feel Pretty. The film stars Amy Schumer and Busy plays her best friend, which is no shock as Busy has made a career out of playing the “best friend.” But Busy is also invested in the film in that her husband, Marc Silverstein, directed and co-wrote it. The Cut published an interview they did with Busy, in which she promotes herself as the ultimate best friend, something Michelle Williams is quoted as confirming. In addition, Busy discusses her secondary career as a social media maven. Busy told them she recently considered quitting Instagram but decided not to because it wasn’t hurting anyone.
On flying to San Francisco to be with Michelle Williams following Heath Ledger’s death, and criticism that it was exploitative: Sitting outside the juice bar, Philipps said the reaction to her posts that day was “mixed.”
“I think some people felt like I was being exploitative,” she said. “I’ve never even really spoken about [Ledger’s death], because I never would want to have it be misconstrued in that way, but it was the ten-year anniversary, and …”
She started to cry behind her sunglasses.
“It’s just been a long ten years, you know?” she said, her voice breaking. “That anniversary just brought up a lot of … I can’t believe it’s been ten years. I was pregnant with Birdie. I had seen him a couple months earlier, and you know, [Williams and Ledger] were broken up. I’ve never talked about it. I’ve never shared it, because I’m hyper protective of [Williams] and her daughter. But I also think … I think it’s okay. Everyone’s allowed to have their own feelings about something that happens.”
It’s hard, Philipps explained, because Ledger was such a beloved figure, and so many people — people who didn’t even know him! — feel a kind of ownership over his story, and she has to contend with all of that. “Certain people in the public feel protective of it,” she sighed. “And they’re like, ‘You shouldn’t be talking about it.’”
But Williams is “my best friend,” she said. “And like, my family … And if I want to talk about it, and I never have really done it before, and this, like, the anniversary, I really felt like …” It’s okay.
Williams said that she doesn’t look at what Philipps posts on Instagram. “I trust her judgment implicitly,” she said.
On how she considered quitting Instagram: At the beginning of the year, Philipps said, she considered quitting Instagram altogether. “It was getting to the point where … like, people are invested in my kids’ lives,” she said. “Like, what am I doing? Am I turning my life into a reality show? Is that what I need to be doing?”
But, you know, she got over it. Because, really, it’s only about 200,000 people who watch her Stories every day. And her kids don’t mind it. “It doesn’t interrupt our lives,” she said, taking her empty juice bottle to recycle it inside.
After reading the whole article, I don’t know that the interviewer bought Busy’s Everywoman persona but she doesn’t dismiss her outright. The discussion surrounding Busy has changed. It used to be how real she was and that’s why we love her on social media. But a large part of this interview, as well as the New Yorker article from last September, is about her success with that platform, even though she paints herself as a social media bumpkin who fell into her success. I don’t believe she thought about giving up Instagram. I think she realized that would make a good soundbite. I do agree that she has every right to discuss her feelings about losing Heath Ledger. But if she’s being honest, she has to see why people thought those photos of her and Michelle were exploitive, even if that wasn’t her intent.
But, whatever Busy’s angle is, it seems to be working as far as getting her acting career back on track, too. Not only does she have her husband’s film this month, but it was just announced that she’ll appear on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt next season. Honestly, that sounds like a perfect fit for her.
Photo credit: WENN Photos and Instagram
PERHAPS…you should not try to get likes by putting your kids on IG then…
My first thought in just reading the headline.
Exactly. The only reason we even know about them is because she’s the one discussing them.
I agree with you guys. Also, her kids are ok with that…really? Kids do not really know what os best for them, not at 10 and deffinitely not at 4. They just want to please their parents at that point. It’s not like they understand that she may be oversharing about their lives with the whole world. She is their mother and as far as I am concerned she should be ashamed of herself for making their lives into a self serving carrer move.
This is also the problem with Health stuff. I would be fine with her talking about how she feels about Heath and his death but she posted a picture of grieving Michelle. Also who in their right mi d actualy takes a picture in that moment? This is beyond me
Oh, please. She wept on Instagram when her 10 year old’s teddy bears were left in Hawaii. She documents their lives on Instagram. She banks on the public’s investment in her kids’ lives.
Right. You don’t get to have it both ways. She HAS turned her life into an Instagram reality show. She’s really good at it. But she doesn’t get to claim that won’t affect her children in any way, shape, or form. Of COURSE it will.
This. Her kids are still young, so maybe it doesn’t seem as big of a deal to her because they themselves are not aware of the public taking an interest in them, plus they don’t have their own social media. But in a few years they will-and she will need to re-evaulate how much she puts out there. I liken it to anyone with young kids who puts their pictures and funny things they say and do on Facebook. The kids hit about 10 and suddenly it seems like an invasion of their privacy. So you stop posting stuff about them because they don’t want you to!
Idk. I feel that there could be a happy balance when it comes to social media and kids. Like, you don’t have to pretend they don’t exist or never show them, but I’m not sure they need to be featured daily in loads of posts.
Somewhere in the middle feels like it could still be representative of her life without sharing everything her kids do. I guess I don’t have the answer, but it seems like posting that many pics and stories of your kids is a little much, especially if your “concern” is that people are too invested in their lives. Then just back off posting about them a bit, right?
I mean people used to moan about Katie and Tom pimping out Suri but she doesn’t feature on Katie’s Instagram as much as many other celebrity mums. Katie’s instagram is one of the celebrity ones you can tell runs it herself. Off topic but why don’t joshua Jackson and Katie follow each other on Instagram, they seemed comfortable at the reunion
So nobody suspects they are hooking up.
Lol she doesn’t have to give up Instagram-just not put her kids on them.
And unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is so many levels of racist, typical for a Tina Fey show
How is Kimmy Schmidt racist?
I’m genuinely curios myself. I’m not flat-out denying it, but I’d like a citation or two.
It has used some stupid stereotypes to portray characters who are supposed to be native Americans.
have you seen all the episodes? plenty of offensive moments, especially towards native americans, and i understand asian people were not happy with the geisha episode. it’s typically tina fey offensive.
just google it if you want something in depth, there’s been plenty written about the show
I haven’t watched it since mid-second season (better TV came out and I started dating a guy with both HBO and Showtime on demand). I may have to revisit and re-think. Thank you, justcrimmles for explaining
👍🏻 de nada!
The apparently down-to-earth ones have the tendency to become the most eff annoying and eye-rolling makers. I frankly have in horror celebs who constantly expose their children on the internet. They are not only sharing the love of their lives, it looks like they are also selling them.
Didn’t she post some drivel about being there for Michelle Williams on the anniversary of Heath’s death? (Complete with picture of her “consoling” Michelle) I was done with her antics then.
I saw I feel Pretty at a sneak peek a few weeks ago. It’s cringeworthingly bad.
Yes but Michelle is an adult who choose to partake in that.
The kids are another story.
That did seem exploitative to me. I like her and all, but it seemed too much.
While I like hearing about the personal lives of some celebrities, I’m always uncomfortable when they frequently show their kids’ faces. Those kids didn’t ask to have their lives on display, and are too young to understand the consequences.
I think a happy medium is posting about them occasionally, but showing them from different angles to protect their privacy until they’re old enough to decide for themselves the level of exposure they’re comfortable with.
So she now basically has a one-woman reality show on social media? Busy, if you don’t want people to be interested in your children, don’t post pictures and share “dramatic” stories of losing your almost-10 yro’s stuffed animals. Just keep milking your friendship with Michelle and memories of Heath and leave your kids out of it.
I don’t know who this person is and I’m so glad I don’t!
After reading about what investigators of pedophile rings have to say about putting ones children all over public social media, seeing those pictures of her children makes me cringe.
(Those sickos can turn even innocent pictures into filth.) Just keep pics private to select family and/or friends. But if she did that, she wouldn’t be making the big bucks in IG, now would she?
Oh honey, you have no idea how we’ll miss you.
I have been so over this chick for such a long time. Remember when she was basically asking her fans to send her money? And that whole “I basically got assaulted by an Uber driver” story? She’s an attention whore. Look up tacky in the dictionary and it’ll direct you to her IMDb.