Days after confessing that she had an abortion at 15, the 'Busy Tonight' host additionally admits to Variety that she was overwhelmed by the positive response to her revelation.

• May 11, 2019

AceShowbiz - Actress Busy Philipps has been flooded with support from fans after revealing she had an abortion as a teen.

The star made the revelation during the Tuesday, May 07 night episode of her late night talk show "Busy Tonight", telling viewers she fell pregnant in high school.

"I had an abortion when I was 15 years old," she shared with the audience during a segment, in which she addressed a controversial new law in the state of Georgia.

"The statistic is that one in four women will have an abortion before age 45," she added. "That statistic sometimes surprises people, and maybe you're sitting there thinking, 'I don't know a woman who would have an abortion.' Well, you know me."

Busy's impassioned admission went viral and she is shocked by how much love she is receiving from devotees online.

"I've been overwhelmed by the response in the last 24 hours, and certainly online, by the support, because I was ready for all the other stuff," the mum-of-two tells Variety on Friday. "And certainly, there have been some people that have, whatever, called me names on Instagram. But it really doesn't even affect me - it's so interesting. But the support has been overwhelmingly positive."

Comedienne Tina Fey, who is executive producer on "Busy Tonight", has encouraged Philipps to start a movement on social media.

"Tina Fey actually texted me this morning and she was like, 'You should start a hashtag thing,' " she explains. "She's so funny. She is not on social media in that way. She's like, 'You should do like a hashtag thing where you say #YouKnowMe.' "

But Busy isn't sure if she wants to lead an online movement in the footsteps of the #MeToo push for support for sexual assault survivors.

"I don't know. Maybe I will. I don't know," she said of Fey's #YouKnowMe hashtag pitch.

Busy also grabbed headlines for switching to Met Gala coverage immediately after revealing her teenage abortion, admitting on the programme that the transition was "jarring," but the 39-year-old insists her segue was appropriate.

"I think that there is value to caring about things that range from women's reproductive rights to avocado face masks," she explains.