Actress and social media influencer Busy Philipps has been married to her husband and baby daddy, screenwriter Marc Silverstein, for over a decade now and their marriage hasn't been perfect, despite what some people may believe. According to Philipps' memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little, she even considered having an affair at one point.
Philipps has also spoken on her podcast about how Silverstein didn't take on much responsibility when it came to being a parent and that she did a majority of the work for a long time. She has always been a super honest and real person, which is a rare find in the world of Hollywood.
Even though their marriage has had many bumps in the road, they are still together and they do their best to make things work. Between raising two kids and balancing their professional lives, here is a look inside the marriage of Philipps and Silverstein.
8 They Married In 2007 In A Surprise Ceremony
Philipps and Silverstein decided to throw a surprise wedding ceremony for themselves in June 2007. It wasn't a surprise for them, of course, but to the guests they invited. Only their close friends and family knew about the secret ceremony. Later on, Silverstein, who is a screenwriter, wrote him and Philipps' wedding vows to each other into the screenplay for The Vow starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. In 2014, Philipps told ABC News that she wasn't aware of the fact that her husband had done that, and was pleasantly surprised while watching the film on a plane. "I was sobbing hysterically," she said.
7 Silverstein Works With His Ex
Silverstein's writing partner is Abby Kohn. They dated for seven years and were even engaged to be married before they broke things off in the early 2000's. Philipps was not a fan of the two when she was dating Silverstein and was a little insecure about things. Once Kohn got married to another man and had a baby, though, all her feelings of jealousy went away, as she tells in her memoir.
6 He Promised To Never Break Her Heart
When the two got married, Silverstein, who is a romantic at heart, drew up a legally binding contract that stated he would never break Philipps' heart. He had it notarized and framed as a reminder of his promise to her. Philipps told Britain's OK! Magazine in 2010 that "if we're arguing I can say, 'Um, excuse me, can I just point out what's hanging above the mantel!"
5 They Have Two Kids Together
The pair welcomed their first child, Birdie, in 2008. After having one kid, Philipps was nervous about having a second, which she spoke about in her memoir. Philipps and Silverstein eventually welcomed their second child, Cricket, in 2013. Their oldest, Birdie, has shown interest in following their mother's footsteps as an actor and has a recurring role in an upcoming Amazon Prime series, With Love. Birdie has also followed in their mom's footsteps of being outspoken and honest about who they are, allowing Philipps to reveal on social media that Birdie is nonbinary and that Birdie's pronouns are "they/them."
4 Silverstein Wasn't A Very Involved Parent
Silverstein didn't do much when it came to having children. Philipps spoke about her husband's lack of parental involvement both in her memoir and on her podcast, Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best. She also opened up in a joint interview with her husband for Harper's Bazaar in 2019, saying that she considered divorcing Silverstein over the unfair division of labor when it came to raising their two children, Birdie and Cricket. She stated that she told her husband "I have done it all, by myself, and I'm done, dude." Philipps also told the publication that she "wasn't expecting anything from [her husband], but what we ended up doing was creating our own system."
3 Silverstein Is A Stay-At-Home Dad
When the couple worked out their parenting issues, they decided that Silverstein should be the one to stay at home with the girls, while Philipps worked and did her thing. She has since gone on to do a late night talk show, which unfortunately was canceled after just one season, a podcast and a comedy series for Peacock, Girls5Eva. Philipps told Harper's Bazaar that her husband has developed a closeness with their children now that he's spending more time with them and that it's really special.
2 They Make Time For Themselves
Philipps told Us Weekly in 2020 that her role on Girls5Eva and "having that time out of the house and being out, doing the thing that I really like to do, has been important for me. I think once Marc and I sort of figured out how to each take our own time for ourselves or breaks, things got a lot easier." She went on to say in another interview with Us Weekly that it's important for each of them to prioritize themselves once in a while.
1 They Are Open To Change
Philipps revealed to Life & Style that the secret to her marriage with Silverstein is that they are open to change and allowing each other the room to grow. It's a normal thing for people to grow and change as they grow older and grow through life and accepting change in a partner or spouse is important for relationships to last over time. "Change makes people uncomfortable but you can move through it together," she said.