Michelle Williams’ Best Parenting Quotes Through the Years: The ‘Ultimate Creative Act’

An open book! Michelle Williams has been gushing about motherhood since welcoming her and Heath Ledger’s daughter, Matilda, in 2005. Us Weekly confirmed in December 2019 that the actress is engaged to Hamilton director Thomas Kail and expecting baby No. 2. The pair worked together on Fosse/Verdon, which the Tony winner directed and produced earlier that same year. The Emmy winner was previously married to Phil Elverum. The former couple wed secretly in July 2018 in the Adirondacks and split in April 2019. Prior to their nuptials, the Dawson’s Creek alum was linked to author Jonathan Safran Foer in 2015, actor Jason Segel from 2012 to 2013 and director Spike Jonze in 2009. Williams was with Ledger from 2004 to 2007. The late actor died the following year at age 28 of an accidental overdose. When asked in September 2018 what she tells Matilda about her father, the Montana native explained to Vanity Fair: “I always say to Matilda, ‘Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes. Don’t settle. Don’t settle for something that feels like a prison, or is hard, or hurts you. If it doesn’t feel like love, it’s not love.’” Matilda has a close bond with Busy Philipps’ kids, the Freaks and Geeks alum told Us exclusively in August 2019. “They call each other godsisters, which is cute,” Philipps explained at the time. “They’re definitely … like family.” The Arizona native, who shares Birdie and Cricket with estranged husband Marc Silverstein, explained to Us: “They’re not the same ages, but you know, they’re like cousins kind of,” she adds. “They’ll see each other once or twice a year and hang out, but they’re not quite yet… like when they’re older I think they’ll appreciate their relationships.” Us confirmed in June 2020 that Williams gave birth to son Hart, her first child with Kail. The pair announced in May 2022 that they were expecting another baby together. The actress gave birth the following October. “It’s just a dream come true for the whole family,” a source exclusively told Us in October 2022 of their growing brood. “[Michelle] prides herself on living a low-key lifestyle in a super private part of the world. … She was very low-key during the pregnancy and didn’t do much if any traveling, she was a real homebody and Thomas was looking after her and running most of the errands so she could get as much relaxation as possible.” Keep scrolling to read Williams’ best parenting quotes through the years.