Elizabeth Jean "Busy" Philipps (born June 25, 1979) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000), Dawson's Creek (2001–2003), and ER (2006–2007), and for her portrayal of Laurie Keller on the ABC/TBS television sitcom Cougar Town (2009–2015), for which she received the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Phillips has also appeared in supporting roles in films, including The Smokers (2000), Home Room (2002), White Chicks (2004), Made of Honor (2008), He's Just Not That Into You (2009), The Gift (2015), and I Feel Pretty (2018). From 2018 to 2019, Philipps hosted her own television talk show Busy Tonight, on E!. From 2021 to 2024, she starred on the Peacock / Netflix original series Girls5eva.
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Early life
Philipps was born in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She received the nickname "Busy" as a child; sources conflict on whether the nickname came from her parents or a babysitter named Susie. She said on her late-night talk show, Busy Tonight, that her mother gave her the nickname, but during her book tour said that her babysitter had given it to her. This was clarified on an episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! when she confirmed to host Scott Aukerman that it was her babysitter. Philipps was raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she graduated from Chaparral High School.
Philipps attended Loyola Marymount University at the same time as Colin Hanks and Freaks and Geeks costar Linda Cardellini. She then dated Hanks for several years, after they left school. Philipps did not complete her degree program.
Career
While still in high school, Philipps worked at toy trade fairs as a real-life Barbie, her sister Cool Teen Skipper. Among the people who saw her at toy conventions was actress Sharon Stone, who was impressed with her performance and told Philipps that she would be a star.
Her first major role was Kim Kelly in the 1999–2000 comedy-drama TV series Freaks and Geeks; Philipps appeared in all but one of the show's 18 episodes (the episode "Chokin' & Tokin'"). She made her film debut in the comedy The Smokers in 2000, and had various small appearances on television.
In 2001, Philipps was cast as Audrey Liddell in the teen drama Dawson's Creek.
Philipps appeared in several films, including Home Room (2002) and White Chicks (2004). She was cast in the UPN sitcom Love, Inc. in a role originally intended for Shannen Doherty. The show lasted one season (2005–2006). In 2006, she had a major recurring role as Hope Bobeck on ER, alongside her Freaks and Geeks co-star Linda Cardellini. During her second year on ER, her character was written out as heading to South America to "fulfill her Christian mission".
Philipps had a co-credit for the storyline of the 2007 comedy film Blades of Glory. A year later, she appeared in a supporting role in Made of Honor.
She made appearances in He's Just Not That into You as Kelli Ann and on an episode of How I Met Your Mother.
In 2008 to 2009 she was a recurring character on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, appearing in five episodes as Kacy Corbin. From 2009 to 2015, Philipps portrayed Laurie Keller in the television series Cougar Town. She routinely contributed to the Thrilling Adventure Hour, a live stage radio show. Her primary recurring character was the Red Plains Rider.
On a 2010 appearance on Chelsea Lately, Philipps said that she auditioned for the hit television show Glee just one week after giving birth, following a pregnancy during which she gained 80 pounds.
Book
Philipps's memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, was released October 18, 2018. It includes a passage where she describes a physical altercation she had with James Franco on the set of Freaks and Geeks. She said she was "bummed" by the amount of attention drawn to just this incident in the book, saying the story was not new, and that she meant it "to illustrate a larger point about the way women are treated in this business and in life."
Personal life
Philipps married screenwriter Marc Silverstein on June 16, 2007. They have two children. They separated in February 2021.
Philipps has ADHD.
In August 2026, Philipps revealed that she was diagnosed with oligodendroglioma, a type of brain tumor, back in February. The following month in March, she had it successfully treated via surgery, however developed a staph infection a month later, which required additional surgery to treat. Philipps said she had prolonged medical care, however following the death of James Van Der Beek from colon cancer, it encouraged her to seek a diagnosis after experiencing frequent headaches.
Political views
After the Alabama Legislature's May 14, 2019, passage of House Bill 314 (also known as the "Human Life Protection Act"), Philipps advocated that women speak out if they had had abortions. On May 14, she invoked the hashtag #YouKnowMe (established on February 18) to her 370,000 followers on Twitter, with her call for testimonies: "1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don't know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let's do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let's share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth." The previous week she revealed on her Busy Tonight TV show that she had had an abortion at age 15.
On June 4, 2019, Philipps gave a testimonial before the House Judiciary Committee defending women's right to access more abortion clinics. She spoke of her own experience with abortion: "I am a human being that deserves autonomy in this country that calls itself free, and choices that a human being makes about their own bodies should not be legislated by strangers who can't possibly know or understand each individual's circumstances or beliefs."