Chynna Phillips Spills The Reason She Can't Open Up To Husband Billy Baldwin

Marriage can be far from ideal, even if you're a celebrity. Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin have been privately married for nearly 30 years and welcomed three children, but their relationship hasn't always been picture-perfect. An argument between her and Baldwin helped Phillips realize the reason she sometimes feels unable to open up to her husband. 

Phillips explained on her "California Preachin'" YouTube channel, "Billy's my life partner. He's the one I want to have the healthiest relationship with... but sometimes I don't." The singer shared that she catches herself trying to adjust how she communicates with Baldwin when they're arguing because she doesn't want to upset him. She said, "A lot of times I don't because I don't want to rock the boat, or I don't want to put him in a bad mood, or I'm walking on eggshells." However, she realized that by keeping her emotions bottled up, it only makes the situation worse.

Ultimately, her fear over how Baldwin will react to her grievances prevents her from truly letting him in. She explained, "It just comes down to me not wanting to trigger him, but the truth is that me having that fear is keeping us from true intimacy, because it's preventing me from opening up to him, and I'm trying to guard his feelings, and yet I'm causing more trouble in our marriage by doing that." Baldwin and Phillips overcame this latest hiccup, but it isn't the first time the couple has struggled.  

Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin nearly divorced

Fans thought Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin would become one of those celebrity couples that surprised us by divorcing after everyone thought they made it because, in March 2010, the songwriter filed for divorce after Baldwin was away on the set of "Gossip Girl." However, two days after filing, Phillips withdrew the petition. At the time, a source told Page Six, "Chynna has gone under a lot of personal and professional stress. The divorce petition came after a long and emotional buildup. But once it was filed, she realized she didn't want to lose Billy and asked her lawyers to withdraw it."

A couple of months after she filed and subsequently withdrew her motion to divorce Baldwin, Phillips opened up to Us Weekly about what led her to the rash decision. She said, "It's our 19th anniversary this year and we've been together a really long time. I started to feel a little flat-lined, like I need more and want more, and I know we deserve more from our marriage." She continued, "It became so about the children and so about my business, his business, and I missed him. I really missed him. I missed laughing together, taking our little vacations together." The singer felt "hopeless" the day she filed for divorce and knew it wasn't all Baldwin's fault that their relationship took a turn. Luckily, Phillips realized divorce wasn't the best decision for the couple and their union has continued to thrive since.

Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin are still going strong

Chynna Phillips and Billy Baldwin may have had their share of ups and downs, but they've always found their way back to one another. In February 2024, the "Sliver" actor spoke on Phillips' YouTube channel about how he is still madly in love with he,r despite their opposing views on faith. He said, "I still absolutely love you, absolutely adore you, and completely support you. That's why I'm sitting here now." Baldwin revealed that he does everything for her because it's Phillips with whom he wants to grow old. He shared, "That's why I do this stuff for you ... It's because I'm a supportive, loving husband who adores his wife [and] wants to spend the rest of my life with you, no question." The love goes both ways, as Phillips has shared her admiration for Baldwin online. 

In a post from 2022, the songwriter posted a throwback photo of the two with a sweet caption on Instagram. She said, "After 30 years of being with my ugly bear, I'm as madly in love with him as ever! We've had a couple major fails, butttt..kinda normal?" Phillips and Baldwin aren't afraid to show off their love, just like they're not afraid to open up about the struggles they have dealt with in their marriage. Still, no matter what they've gone through, the couple has stuck by each other's side through it all.