Why Busy Philipps Didn’t Return For Dawson’s Creek’s Final Episode Revealed: “That Really Hurt My Feelings”

Busy Philipps became a familiar face on Dawson’s Creek during its final two seasons. However, she was noticeably missing from the series finale.

Philipps joined the show in season 5 as Audrey Liddell, the college roommate of Joey Potter, who was portrayed by Katie Holmes. She quickly became a fan favorite and worked her way intoDawson’s Creek’s core group of characters. She remained a prominent part of the cast for the remainder of the series, which makes her absence all the stranger.

During an episode of Pod Meets World, Philipps said she was initially very excited to appear in the finale. However, the final episode of Dawson’s Creek was written by Kevin Williamson, the show’s creator, who returned after leaving the show at the end of season 2. According to the actor, he was unable to find a way to include her character in the final storyline.

Philipps added that she heard through the grapevine that the primary reason why she was excluded was that she was not one of the original characters. Williamson was allegedly very brutal and dismissive of her, reportedly stating that since he didn’t create her, she wasn’t going to be in Dawson Creek’s finale. “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,” she explained.

This very understandably upset Philipps. She expressed her frustration, stating that she worked hard and earned her place on Dawson’s Creek. Her character quickly became very popular, and she deserved to be a part of the conclusion. Williamson not letting her take part in something so special over something as shallow as her not being one of his original characters was incredibly disrespectful.

It was a thing that really hurt my feelings and I felt like I had given two seasons of my life to this show. People really loved my character. I really, you know, gave up like a big part of my life to be in Wilmington.

However, Williamson did redeem himself during the Dawson’s Creek reunion last year. Philipps said that he apologized to her for writing her out of the story. He also acknowledged that he could have handled the situation better and said he was sorry that he didn’t approach the situation in a more sensitive and professional manner.

He was just like, ‘I was just in a moment in my career, my life, when like I had so many things going on. They had asked me at the very last minute to come back and write the finale. 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.

Dawson’s Creek originally aired on January 20, 1998, and ran for 6 seasons. The teen drama series follows aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery, played by James Van Der Beek and his friends. The show also starred Joshua Jackson (Pacey), Chad Michael Murray (Charlie), and Michelle Williams (Jen), alongside Holmes.