Busy Philipps reveals why she wasn’t in ‘Dawson’s Creek’ finale

Busy Philipps is addressing her mysterious absence from the last-ever episode of “Dawson’s Creek.”

The actress, who joined the hit teen drama as Audrey Liddell during Season 5 in 2001, opened up about the show’s two-part series finale during a recent episode of the “Pod Meets World” podcast.

She explained that “Dawson’s Creek” creator Kevin Williamson returned to write the 2003 series finale after having left the show in 1999, and he refused to include Philipps’ character.

“What I heard at the time was Kevin was like, ‘I don’t know this character. I didn’t create her, so she’s not going to be in the finale,’” the “Freaks and Geeks” alum, 46, shared.

Philipps, who has remained close with former co-star Michelle Williams (Jen Lindley), went on to reveal that she left Wilmington, North Carolina, when the finale was filmed, but was obligated to return for the finale party to fulfill her contract.

“It was a thing that really hurt my feelings, and I felt like I had given two seasons of my life to this show,” she said.

“People really loved my character,” Philipps added. “I really gave up like a big part of my life to be in Wilmington.”

However, the “White Chicks” star was able to receive closure 22 years later when she and Williamson crossed paths at the “Dawson’s Creek” reunion back in September.

Williamson, 60, apologized for not including Philipps’ character in the finale.

“I was just in a moment in my career, my life, when I had so many things going on,” Philipps recalled him saying.

“They had asked me at the very last minute to come back and write the finale,” he continued. “I had like a day and a half to do it, and I just made this kind of weird decision, and I could have done better, and I didn’t, and I’m sorry.”

Philipps and Williamson were also joined by “Dawson’s Creek” alums Katie Holmes (Joey Potter), Joshua Jackson (Pacey Witter) and Williams during the reunion at the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City earlier this year.

The group came together to raise money for F Cancer and James Van Der Beek, who starred as the titular Dawson Leery and announced he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in November 2024.

Philipps, Holmes, Jackson and Williams did a live table reading of the show’s 1998 pilot episode during the event.

Although Van Der Beek, 48, couldn’t attend the reunion due to illness, he shared a touching video thanking his fans and former co-stars for coming together to support him amid his cancer battle.

“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” he said. “I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my castmates, my beautiful cast in person.”

“And just I want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight,” the “Varisty Blues” star continued. “From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you – you are the best fans in the world.”

Phillips, who later addressed Van Der Beek’s absence from the reunion, said that it was “heartbreaking for a million different reasons.”