Naomi Watts and Busy Philipps film emotional surprise reunions with their moms after being separated for more than a year

Naomi Watts managed to surprise her mom with a visit after not seeing her for over a year. (Photo: Sarah Morris/Getty Images)
Naomi Watts managed to surprise her mom with a visit after not seeing her for over a year. (Photo: Sarah Morris/Getty Images)

Surprise reunions have become this year's most heartwarming Mother's Day trend, as Naomi Watts and Busy Philipps both managed to spend some time with their moms despite their mothers having no idea that they were coming.

On Mother's Day, Watts posted a video of her surprising her mom Myfanwy, whom she had not been able to see for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Oscar-nominated actress, who celebrated getting her second COVID-19 vaccination on April 27, her mother spent most of lockdown on her own.

"This is a little more personal than what I’d normally share but it feels like something we can all relate to..." Watts wrote as the caption. "Like for so many, the last year has been a time filled with anxiety and loneliness. My mum spent most of it alone. With the help of her neighbors (our dear friends), we managed to pull off a surprise reunion. I hadn’t seen her for over a year."

In the video, Myfanwy exclaims "Oh my God! It's my family!" before giving Watts a long overdue hug and embracing Watts's two children, Sasha and Kai, whose father is actor Liev Schreiber.

Philipps was in a similar situation to Watts, having not seen her mom Barbara in a year and a half. After getting vaccinated, the star flew to Arizona with husband Marc Silverstein and kids Birdie and Cricket to surprise her family as they dined at a restaurant.

The footage shot by Silverstein shows Barbara being reduced to a puddle of tears as she spotted her daughter and grandkids.

"After a year and half, since we’re all now fully vaxxed, we flew to Arizona to surprise my parents. It was. Worth it," Philipps, who also cried during the reunion, captioned the video.