In our previous coverage of Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps (re)declaring their love for each other, I lamented that E! pulled the plug on Busy Tonight. Silly me, I was blanking on the fact that Busy has taken her talents where they’re appreciated, to QVC+, where she now hosts Busy This Week. (A name like “Busy” all but begs to be a talk show host.) So naturally Busy had her bestie Michelle on, who’s still promoting Dying for Sex, the FX series that is itself a love letter to best friendships. (Sidenote: I always loved Michelle in the pixie haircut, but I gotta say she is really rocking the hot ‘do of the season, the c-nty little bob.) In one clip from the episode, Michelle and Busy get teary as they recall meeting on the set of Dawson’s Creek. Busy had a profound moment of feeling truly seen, while Michelle had a sleeve of Fig Newtons in hand.
Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams clicked instantaneously on the Dawson’s Creek set.
In an exclusive sneak peek of Philipps’ QVC+ late-night talk show, Busy This Week, the actresses recall how immediately they connected in North Carolina more than 25 years ago.
In the chat, Philipps, 45, confesses that she was nervous to join the hit series. Philipps joined during season 5 in 2001, as Joey’s (Katie Holmes) college roommate, and though she didn’t yet know Williams, they “had heard of each other.”
“I had gotten added to the cast for the college years, and I remember being very, very nervous, and the first person I met was James [Van Der Beek],” Philipps recalls, before she notes that Williams, now 44, was crossing the street from a local market with a sleeve of Fig Newtons in hand at the time.
As the two reminisced over the specific detail of their meeting, Philipps quickly adds that she knew why she loved Williams “immediately.”
“I’m gonna cry,” Philipps tearfully begins. “Because I just felt like you got it. You just understood me.”
“I feel like — oh no, I’m gonna cry — my entire life I’ve always been like, misunderstood and prejudged by people,” she continues. “And for whatever reason, you just instantly were like, ‘I got you.’”
Williams interjects to say, “I loved you.”
“You really did,” Philipps says. “That’s what it was,” Williams confirms.
“I really loved you, too,” Philipps adds. “And the Fig Newtons in your hand, that was really nice.”
Philipps then confesses that they “used to cry so much together.” Noting, “But now you don’t let me cry as much, and you don’t cry as much. Do you want to tell them why?”
“Because it’s the delicate under-eye area,” Williams cheekily replies, with Philipps adding, “Because, you guys, under your eyes is a very delicate area and we can’t risk it.”
“I’ll tell you to stop,” Williams says before quoting herself, “‘Don’t ruin the delicate under-eye area, it’s not worth it.’”
It’s fun to hear Michelle making the quip about protecting the “delicate under-eye area,” given how she’s usually painted as the more serious one between the two. As for their retelling of that fateful meeting, People Mag didn’t excerpt the question Busy asks that starts off the whole conversation: “Why do you think we had this instant connection when I showed up?” I bring this up because in watching the clip, I couldn’t help but notice how Busy asks the question… then pretty much answers it all herself. Michelle does very little of the talking! And I feel like the core question — why they connected so strongly — isn’t even really answered! Michelle just says, “I loved you,” without any further explanation or context. Meanwhile Busy’s description of what she loved about Michelle, isn’t so much about Michelle as it is Busy, right? Don’t get me wrong, feeling seen and understood is very powerful. But I’m always fascinated when people give thanks or tributes to someone else, yet really end up talking about themselves instead. No question that the love between them is genuine and deep, but they are an odd couple! And Michelle agrees, as that’s the exact term she used to describe them in her recent Armchair Expert interview.
Another fun clip making the rounds is the pair talking about that crazy debacle at the 2017 Oscars, when La La Land was mistakenly announced Best Picture before producers stepped in to name the real winner, Moonlight. While everything was still awkward and unresolved, Busy apparently heckled Ben Affleck to “Do Something!” Why? She thought he could fix it because he was Batman! Even funnier to me was Michelle dryly replying, “He could not.”
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I love their friendship. Sometimes people just fit, as odd as it seems to us. I wish that kind of friendship for all of us.
My ride-or-die & I no longer live in the same city, but neither distance nor time are relevant to our friendship. I wish such a friendship to everyone. We truly see each other, call out the bullship, and love each other no matter what. As an only child, it’s what I imagine it would be like to have a sister.
I saw a girl on my orientation week group at university. First day, being led around the campus by an older year student. The girl had amazing long curly hair and beautiful blue eyes. I have no idea what it was but I immediately thought “I want to be her friend”. We signed up for similar things that neither of us ever did (theatre group, the university magazine). She had stuff going on at home (I learned later), and I never saw her around the campus until 8 months later we were both applying for extensions for class work. I asked for her number. Come swot vac I called her. I knew a bunch of the very visible, ace students, but for some reason I called her. She wasn’t particularly interested in law and later dropped the course.
25 years later and we live on 2 different continents and are in touch every day. I love her with every fibre of my being.
So I get the love at first sight with a friend. I’ve always liked Busy and Michelle’s friendship. We all need one of those in our lives.
Their friendship is so sweet! I have a BFF like that, and we are going on 35 years now.
These two are truly soulmates. They are so lucky to have each other in their lives.
I have a couple of friendships where we just clicked – and I am definitely more of a Michelle and they are Busys. If ya know ya know!
I loved Busy Philipps in Girls5Eva. That whole series was fire and every actress was fantastic. I do love the loving hug between Busy and Michelle and the way Michelle looks at Busy is lovely and amazing.