Philipps plays the self-proclaimed “hot one” (alongside pretend bandmates/real-life costars Sara Bareilles, Paula Pell and Hamilton’s Renee Elise Goldsberry) in the Peacock series, which just scored an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series and got renewed for a second season; in other words, it’ll be keeping her busy for a good while longer. In the meantime, the 42-year-old mom of two co-hosts the Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best podcast alongside her producing partner, Caissie St. Onge, who also served as an executive producer and showrunner on Philipps’ tragically short-lived, late-night talk show, Busy Tonight. Girls5eva’s fast success is all the more impressive considering the Peacock platform is only a year old. Perhaps because Philipps is unfortunately familiar with the sting of a series cancellation, she’s quick to point out when talking about Girls5eva that its home on Peacock, NBC’s new-ish streaming platform, shouldn’t dissuade fans from checking it out. “I’m so proud of the show and I know it’s hard for people to understand all the streaming services—it’s hard for me to understand!” she admits. “I’ll see shows—like even when the Emmys were announced and I’m like, that’s a show? That’s a network? What? So I get it, but I do want to say Girls5eva is worth seeking out the Peacock streaming service.” With all this going on, it’s no wonder Philipps is taking a moment to catch her breath in time for International Self Care Day on Saturday, July 24—a day she’s helping hype up for women everywhere alongside Oui by Yoplait yogurt and Essie nail polish. “I love that there’s an International Self Care Day; I love that the emphasis gets put on it so that we’re reminded constantly that [self-care] is valuable and it’s worthy,” Philipps tells Parade.com in a new interview. “Self-care can mean any number of different ways of taking care of yourself, but all of them are valid and they all ultimately will help you if it’s something you want to do.” For Philipps, that can mean everything from simply making sure she’s hydrated—among her inner circle, she’s so notorious for her water-drinking habit that “a couple of years ago on my birthday, multiple people gave me big cups”—to enjoying a little me-time manicure, which her fans can do as well by scoring a free self-care kit from Oui by Yoplait starting July 19th. (Just go to @ouibyyoplait on Instagram and you can enter to win one of 1,000 kits that include six bottles of Essie polish and six jars of Oui by Yoplait, all packaged in a chic Baldwin Boxer Lunchboxtote from Corkcicle.) Continue reading for more on how Busy Philipps makes time for herself, the relaxing self-care ritual she started during quarantine and why Girls5eva was her favorite cast to “eva” work with…
You’ve partnered with Oui by Yoplait and Essie to remind women how important it is to make time for themselves on International Self Care Day on July 24, and every day. So what I’d first like to ask you is: What is the most recent bit of self-care that you’ve managed to carve out time for?
Philipps: Oh, I did it this morning. I was supposed to do an interview for my [Busy Philipps Is Doing Her Best] podcast this afternoon… and I was like, you know what, I think I’m going to reschedule. There’s no reason that needs to happen today when I’m not as prepared as I should be. I’m going to ask if the other person can reschedule because I don’t think I’ll be my best, I don’t think it’ll be the best interview that I could do. I might want to do a little more research to respect the person’s time and everybody will benefit from me rescheduling and taking that time.
I love that, because the term “self-care” isn’t often thought of that broadly. Yes, it can mean pampering yourself, but it can also mean doing whatever you need to do so that you’re at your best as often as possible—which benefits not just yourself, but everybody else in your life.
Philipps: I think there’s a part of me that, pre-pandemic, would be like, “Well, I don’t have a choice, I have to just do it, this is just the way things are.” Perhaps one of the silver linings—if we are finding any in the last year and a half—is that I know that there’s time and we can make it happen. But also to your point, things like that can be self care, but so can, you know, taking a moment with your yogurt, having a Oui by Yoplait moment in the afternoon, or painting your nails, a beauty moment—all of these things can be self care, as long as it’s under the bigger umbrella of doing something that allows you to really be present with yourself and for yourself.
What are your self-care non-negotiables?
Philipps: Working out has been a thing that I came to later in my life. I was one of those people who genuinely thought that people who enjoyed working out were, like, there was something different in their brains. I really came to discover through workout classes that it was something that not only was fun and made me feel good and I had physical results that I was happy with—which was never my priority—but it just helped my brain feel better and the endorphins helped my daily anxiety go down. It’s sort of just a time for myself where I’m doing a physical activity and my brain kind of goes and I come back with a lot of good ideas and I feel really refreshed. And I notice a difference when I don’t do it. It’s not the best version of myself, you know? So that’s a thing that I really make a priority in my life. What else? I really like baths. I started taking baths during the pandemic and it really is lovely to take a bath before bed. Sometimes I eat yogurt in my bath.
Your two children are still young, but have you spoken to them at all yet about this concept of self-care?
Philipps: I interestingly feel like a lot of Gen Z has self-preservation and self-care built into them and that it’s not necessarily a thing they need to learn because they’ve never been taught not to have it. And I think that especially for Gen X women, which I am—I’m the youngest of Gen X, [born in] 1979—the idea of self-care had to be taught to us because we were sort of—
Doing everything, taking it all on.
Philipps: Yeah… You have to take it all on. I do think it’s generation-specific because the generation before us, especially the women, really felt like they paved a very clear path and now it was our turn to put on our running shoes and just run as fast as we can and have it all. And I do think that younger generations are a little bit relieved of that idea and that pressure.
Your fans love how ride-or-die you are with your best friend, Michelle Williams, and how you’re always by her side at big events like awards shows. What are your tips for being a great wingwoman?
Philipps: I thought you just said “win woman” [laughs]. Like, she hasn’t always won! In fact, it’s most important to be there when there’s a loss! It’s just about showing up for people in general, showing up for your friends. Finding the time is hard and I think that finding the time especially when you have children, spouses, obligations, charitable work, volunteer things you want to do, political campaigns you want to help out, all of that stuff, yeah, it cuts into the quality time you can spend with your friends. But I do think that keeping your word is important. One thing I’ve noticed where people sort of fall off in their friendships is flakiness. Here’s the deal: No one’s ever going to be upset with you if you say to a person, “I would really love to go to that awards show with you. However, I promised my kid that I would help them with their final report and I would make dinner and my mom and sister are supposed to come over. I could try to fit it all in, but you’re not going to get the best version of me, they’re not going to get the best version of me, so can we find something else to do?” Instead of consistently overextending, consistently saying yes, and then flaking on people. And when I look at my strongest friendships, it’s with people who aren’t flaky. If I call them and I say, “Dinner in two weeks on Friday, can you do it?” and they say, “Yes,” then I’m not getting a call on Friday at 3 p.m. saying, “Oh my god I’m so sorry, I forgot.” That’s how you make sure that the people you love know they’re valuable in their life. You respect their time and you honor it and you show up!
Now that Girls5eva has been renewed for Season 2, any teasers or spoilers you can share? Any new cast members, any idea when we’ll get more episodes?
I really don’t know much. I do know that SB, Sara Bareilles, is going to be returning for a short run on Broadway in Waitress as Broadway reopens, which is very exciting. So maybe she’ll be very tired, I don’t know. I probably imagine our production will be a little bit similar, schedule-wise. I think we’ll probably go back in, like, October-ish. And then it’ll probably come out… May [2022]?
Speaking of female friendships, Girls5eva must be the most fun cast to work with in the history of the world.
Philipps: Yeah, that’s not hyperbolic. That’s about exactly what it was. We had genuinely one of the greatest love-affair experiences while working together that I have ever experienced in my 24 years as a professional actor. Partially, I think the joy had to do with just who we all are and where we all are in our lives, that we were making a show that was sweet and funny and heartfelt and insane and musical and there was dancing. In the middle of what was one of the hardest years any of us will ever have had to go through, the joy and relief of finding each other in that moment and those stories and those characters… I think it was really magical. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Next, read our list of 40 songs that scream female empowerment—from Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Dolly Parton and more!
