All About Birdie and Cricket: Busy Philipps' 2 Kids
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- UPDATED JULY 08, 2024
by Tasha Mayberry
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When she’s not acting, Busy Philipps focuses on being a mom to her two kids, Birdie and Cricket Silverstein, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein. The former couple, who announced their separation in 2022, welcomed their first child, Birdie, in 2008. Their family grew again when Cricket was born in 2013. Philipps has emphasized being “an incredibly communicative mom” despite her busy schedule. “It’s hard when you grow up and your mom is in the spotlight and you feel like you have to share your mom. Or have an idea of who your mom is,” Philipps said on Today with Hoda & Jenna in 2024. “And it’s really important to me that they get me and also that they get to be themselves.”
Philipps has also opened up about what she hopes to pass on to Birdie and Cricket. In 2020, the White Chicks star told that she hopes to inspire her children to “live their lives in a way where they feel very empowered and free to be who they want to be in whatever way they want to be.” And her older child is doing just that: In 2023, Philipps announced Birdie was preparing for her first year at boarding school. “I feel confident like Birdie’s such a strong individual. She’s such a smart, unique person that I feel really confident in her ability to succeed in whatever situation she’s in,” the Mean Girls star told, adding that the decision took “a lot of conversations” and that she was “still in the process of dealing with it myself as a mom who, of course, just wants my babies to stay close to me.
Birdie Leigh Silverstein, 15
Philipps’ first child, Birdie Leigh Silverstein, was born on Aug. 13, 2008. When it came to picking her name, the actress and her then-husband were inspired by the former first lady Lady Bird Johnson. During a 2010 interview on The Bonnie Hunt Show, Philipps said that she and Silverstein were listening to a radio show about Johnson when they first came up with the name. “My husband said, ‘Wow, what a cool woman and what an amazing name … it would be so cool to name a kid after her.’ ” Philipps wasn’t sure at first, but she knew it was the right fit once she gave birth. Now that Birdie is older, the Mean Girls actress has talked about her personality. Busy told Mini magazine in 2016 that her older child was “very outgoing” and that she “will literally talk to anyone.
Cricket Pearl Silverstein, 11
Philipps and Silverstein had their second child, Cricket Pearl Silverstein, on July 2, 2013. Unlike Birdie, they waited until after Cricket’s birth to name her. When her younger daughter was a few months old, Philipps opened up to about coming up with her name. After a week of indecision post-birth, Silverstein suggested Cricket, and Philipps was into it. She explained that the name really had to do with her new baby’s burgeoning personality. “A lot of times your name dictates the kind of personality you have and [Marc’s] like, ‘Everyone likes Cricket, Cricket is just the greatest, happiest kid on the block, the coolest camp counselor,’ ” Philipps said. “He just had this whole narrative for what that name was.” When Cricket was still a baby, in 2014, Philipps told she was already “a wild woman.” She said that while Birdie had always been a quiet baby who didn’t get into trouble, it was different with her second. “[With] Cricket, if it’s not nailed down it’s off the counter. She throws everything,” Philipps said. “She’s really going to give us a run for our money. I love her. I’m so in love with her crazy personality.
Busy Philipps Says She and Ex-Husband Marc Silverstein Don't Let 'Hurt Feelings' Affect Their Co-Parenting
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the Christian Siriano Fall/Winter 2024 Fashion Show at The Plaza Hotel in New York City on Thursday, the Mean Girls actress, 44, talked about her co-parenting relationship with ex-husband Marc Silverstein. While things are generally positive between the two, Philipps conceded that there have been times of turbulence. “I think that we just both understood, fundamentally, that we made a promise to each other and to our kids,” she shared. While “one part of the promise is different,” she said, when it comes to “raising our kids together,” nothing has changed. “Being able to communicate is important and necessary,” she added. “And we weren’t going to let any hurt feelings on our side affect how we can show up for what is essentially still a family.
