Actress and former talk show host Busy Philipps took to social media recently to address and debunk claims about her being rude to staff during her short-lived “Busy Tonight” show. Philipps is best known for her appearance in series like “Cougar Town,” “ER,” “Freaks and Geeks,” and several others.
Philipps’ talk show, “Busy Tonight,” started airing on October 28th, 2018, with the actress as its host. The show featured comedic commentary, celebrity interviews, and a lot more; however, it was aired for only one season. Three years after it was canceled, Philipps was accused of being rude and dismissive on the show.
Read on to learn more.
Busy Philipps Says She Hated Working With E!
Upon receiving reports about her “rude and dismissive” attitude on the set of “Busy Tonight,” Philipps posted on her Instagram story, tagging who she suspected made the comment. On Wednesday, the actress wrote, “@deuxmoi no need to be ANON FOR ME! Someone sent me this, and it’s probably very true to many of the executives who were at the network then.”
Philipps further said that it was common news that she disliked working with E! at the time of her show. She explained that she had talked about the reason for her strong feelings at the time and zoned in on those times she felt she acted rudely.
“It’s not T that I f*cking hated working for the E! Execs when we were trying to make our show,” Philipps said per Us Weekly. “I’ve talked about it with @instacais on our podcast multiple times as to why I felt that way, and we’ve been specific about situations where I know I was rude and dismissive.”
Busy Philipps Calls The ‘Rude And Dismissive’ Claims Misogynistic
Philipps’ late-night talk show “Busy Tonight” started airing in 2018 on E!. The show was on for only one season before it was canceled, and shortly after, the actress earned a Critics’ Choice Real TV Award nomination.
Further on in the Instagram story, Philipps claimed that there were very few people among the crew members or security guards at the time that would describe her as rude. She also stated that calling her rude was misogynistic. “But I doubt you would find a crew member or pa or security guard who would tell you I’m rude and dismissive,” the actress said.
“I just don’t like it when people who are bad at their jobs are insistent on telling me how to do mine. But. Let’s be real. The idea that I was rude and dismissive is so steeped in misogyny it proves my f*cking point anyway,” the “White Chicks” star added.
‘Busy Tonight’ Was Canceled After One Season
After a year on air, “Busy Tonight” was canceled on E!. The show host announced the news via her Instagram story on May 5th, 2019, revealing that the network had decided to stop at the first season. “Here’s the thing, you guys. My show, Busy Tonight, is not going to continue on E! after May 16th. They decided not to pick it up.”
Via US Weekly, E! released a statement praising Busy for her talent on screen and the entire “Busy Tonight” crew for their contributions. “Busy is a hilarious and charismatic talent, and we are grateful to the entire Busy Tonight team, who has delivered countless laughs and heartwarming moments in what will be over 100 episodes,” the statement read.
In a later interview with Variety, Philipps revealed that the cancellation news devastated her, and she felt like a rug was pulled out from under her. She explained that she got the information from her manager when she had just landed in Dallas. The actress disclosed that after hearing the news, she “ordered a tequila when I got to the hotel, and I shot a music video in my room. And then I went to bed and woke up the next morning and worked all day and the day after that.”
Busy Philipps Said E! Wasn’t The Right Place For Her Show
While talking to Us Weekly in June 2019, Philipps revealed that she was making moves to find a new home for her show after its cancellation on E!. She claimed the network “wasn’t the right place” for her audience and show; however, she has yet to find a new home for it.
“We’re still taking a bunch of meetings and stuff, and we have people,” Philipps said. “It’s just a question of making sure that it’s the right place.”
The actress continued, “There is a need for different voices to be in media, you know, talking about different types of things. People want that. I just wasn’t at the exact right place for people to be able to access that and get it. So maybe we’ll figure out a better place for it to happen.”