Busy Philipps says eldest child Birdie ‘discussed’ coming out as non-binary with her

Busy Philipps is reflecting on some of the lessons learned as a parent after her oldest child, Birdie, came out as non-binary.

The Dawson’s Creek alum, 42, gushed over Birdie for being ‘the coolest’ and for having the confidence to share their true identity with the world.

Phillips first discussed Birdie’s coming out in an episode of her podcast earlier this year but has recently shared more insight into their conversations.

Learning: Busy Philipps is reflecting on some of the lessons learned as a parent after her oldest child, Birdie, came out as non-binary; pictured in 2020 

‘Birdie had discussed it with me. They had come to me and were like, “You can talk about me, my queerness, and my pronouns on your podcast,”‘ the I Feel Pretty star told Entertainment Tonight.

‘I was like, “Well, are you sure? Let’s discuss it.”‘

From there, Philipps discussed the benefits of Birdie, 13, going public with their personal stories with the family, and then jointly decided to move forward and discuss the teen’s identity with the world.

Coolest: The Dawson’s Creek alum, 42, gushed over Birdie for being ‘the coolest’ and for having the confidence to share their true identity with the world. 

‘They’re kind of always unfazed by everything, in terms of how people have responded,’ the Illinois native explained.

‘It was hard for me in terms of knowing that there would be people that would be unkind to my child. I felt like I was putting my kid out there, and putting them at risk of getting some of that negativity toward who they are as a person.’

It turns out it was Birdie who put their mother at ease with the decision shortly after going public with the news.

‘”Mom, you thought everybody was going to be real nice about it? No, this is the world we live in,”‘ the teenager told Philipps, adding, ‘I’m so glad you did it because… I don’t have to explain myself over and over again to people. You did me a favor.’ 

The decision: Philipps discussed the benefits of Birdie, 13, going public with their personal stories with the family, and then jointly decided to move forward and discuss the teen’s identity with the world

Mature beyond their years: It turns out it was Birdie who put their mother at ease with the decision shortly after going public with the news about being non-binary

In response, Philipps confessed: ‘I have gotten so many horrible, horrible DMs… but who cares? As Birdie says, what was I expecting?’

But then there were also the many messages of love and support from moms thanking Philipps for talking about the subject matter of queerness and their choice of pronouns.

‘I think it’s a part of our culture, sharing things on social media,’ the actress said, explaining, ‘You cannot ever predict how they’re going to be received, but you just have to know that when you’re moving through the world in a truthful way, [some] people will respond to it in a positive way, and some people won’t, but that’s their issue to work out.’

Earlier this year, it was announced that Birdie was cast in their first acting role, playing a non-binary character in the Amazon series With Love.

Along with Birdie, Philipps and husband Marc Silverstein are also parents to eight-year-old Cricket.                   

Adorable: Along with Birdie, Philipps and husband Marc Silverstein are also parents to eight-year-old Cricket; the two siblings are pictured with the family dog