Busy Philipps Reveals Rare Brain Tumor Diagnosis and Two Surgeries: ‘I’m Grateful That I’m Alive’

Busy Philipps with ex husband Marc Silverstein on March 2.

Busy Philipps is opening up for the first time about a frightening health crisis that led to the discovery of a rare malignant brain tumor, two surgeries and a complicated recovery — an experience the actress now describes as “the weirdest six months of my life.”

The 47-year-old Cougar Town and Freaks and Geeks alum revealed in an interview with PEOPLE that doctors discovered a grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare, slow-growing brain tumor, earlier this year. The diagnosis came despite Philipps experiencing none of the obvious symptoms that can sometimes accompany a brain tumor, such as seizures.

Through the uncertainty, Philipps said humor became one of the ways she dealt with the terrifying situation. When neurosurgeon Dr. John Golfinos of NYU Langone told her she needed surgery, Philipps had two immediate questions: how soon she could return to work — and whether he could give her a brow lift while operating on her frontal lobe.

Golfinos declined the joking cosmetic request.

“He laughed, and he told me no,” Philipps recalled. “I was like . . . ‘You should start to think about offering that.’”

Behind the humor, however, Philipps was facing a serious medical diagnosis and the difficult task of explaining it to her family.

“I’m grateful that I’m alive,” she said, reflecting on everything that happened.

The Scan That Changed Everything

Philipps’ diagnosis began almost by chance.

She had become interested in undergoing a Prenuvo full-body MRI scan, which checks for hundreds of possible health conditions, after reading about the service on Instagram. Philipps said she did not have a particular medical reason for wanting the scan but nevertheless felt strongly that she should get one.

When she raised the idea with her primary care doctor in 2025, he reportedly told her there was no need because she was young, healthy and had normal results from her annual blood work.

Philipps later discussed the scan with her cousin’s husband, Beverly Hills internist Dr. Justin Donlan, who told her that “knowledge is power” when it comes to health. His perspective convinced her to move forward.

The New York City resident initially scheduled the scan for January, but a blizzard forced her to postpone it until February 12.

The timing was particularly emotional. Her friend and former Dawson’s Creek costar James Van Der Beek had died of colon cancer the previous day. Philipps was also preparing for a meeting with Robert and Michelle King, creators of the CBS series Cupertino, while planning a trip to Arizona to support her older sister Leigh Ann during a medical procedure.

Philipps considered canceling the scan.

Her ex-husband and close friend, filmmaker Marc Silverstein, encouraged her to go through with it, invoking the recent death of Van Der Beek.

“Maybe it’s the best thing you could do for your friend this morning. Go get that scan,” Silverstein told her.

That decision proved crucial.

Doctors Discover a Lesion on Her Brain

After Philipps finished meeting with the creators of Cupertino and was preparing to attend a fashion show, Donlan called with concerning results.

The scan had identified a lesion on her brain.

Based on its shape, Donlan believed doctors could rule out glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, but Philipps urgently needed another MRI to determine exactly what they were dealing with.

Even during that frightening conversation, Philipps communicated the news to Silverstein with her characteristic humor and bluntness.

“OMG I have a brain tumor,” she texted him.

Silverstein responded in alarm, prompting Philipps to reassure him that it might be benign, though she still did not know exactly what the lesion was.

The following days became a whirlwind of appointments, travel and work.

Philipps underwent another MRI, traveled to Los Angeles for a planned appearance on Netflix’s Bad Thoughts and spoke with Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist at NYU Langone who also treats her daughter Birdie for epilepsy.

After reviewing the scans, Devinsky delivered the news directly.

“This is a real tumor, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out,” Philipps recalled him saying.

She described herself as hyperventilating while trying to process what she had just heard.

Making matters even more complicated, Philipps learned the same morning that she had officially been cast in Cupertino, which was scheduled to begin filming in the spring.

Telling Her Daughters

Initially, Philipps did not tell the Kings about her diagnosis because she desperately wanted to keep the role.

She could not, however, keep the news from her daughters — Birdie, 18, and Cricket, 13 — once she had enough medical information to explain what was happening.

Birdie was devastated.

Philipps recalled repeatedly trying to reassure her oldest daughter that she was not going to lose her mother during her senior year of high school.

“You’re just not in the movie where your mom dies your senior year of high school,” Philipps told her. “That’s just not the movie that you’re in. I promise you.”

Cricket reacted more calmly, asking her mother whether she was going to be okay. Philipps assured her that she would.

A Five-Hour Brain Surgery

Devinsky referred Philipps to Golfinos, who scheduled surgery for March 2.

Silverstein accompanied her to the hospital for the approximately five-hour operation. Surgeons removed a 2.6-centimeter mass from Philipps’ brain and sent it for biopsy.

The results identified the tumor as an oligodendroglioma, defined by two specific genetic alterations.

According to Philipps’ neuro-oncologist, Dr. Alexandra Miller of NYU Langone, only approximately 1,100 to 1,300 people in the United States are diagnosed with this type of tumor each year.

Miller explained that although oligodendroglioma is considered malignant because it can regrow over time, it carries the best prognosis among malignant gliomas.

The tumor was classified as grade 2 on a scale of 2 to 4.

Golfinos said detecting it before Philipps developed symptoms was particularly beneficial. Had it remained undetected until she began experiencing seizures, he said, it could have grown two or three times larger and might have been significantly harder to remove completely.

Philipps came through the operation without complications and quickly returned to her naturally energetic behavior.

Within a day, she was already walking around the hospital.

Some nurses even warned her that patients with her level of energy could be concerning because they might not slow down enough during recovery.

Two days later, Philipps returned home. She received visits and support from friends, including her former Dawson’s Creek costar Michelle Williams, who also organized food for her.

Despite swelling in her forehead and having more than 40 surgical staples, Philipps said she experienced virtually no pain.

A Second Medical Crisis

With the tumor removed, Philipps was able to begin what she called her “dream” job on Cupertino, playing Natalia Boutella, a wealthy and flamboyant financial supporter of a Silicon Valley law firm.

By that point, she had told Robert and Michelle King about her health crisis and said they had been “wonderful.”

But in April, shortly after filming began, Philipps encountered another frightening complication.

She visited her dermatologist for Botox, but the dermatologist noticed that Philipps’ surgical incision did not look right and refused to proceed. Instead, she photographed the area and urged Philipps to immediately send the image to her surgical team.

The doctors were concerned as soon as they saw it.

Philipps was referred to a wound-care specialist and placed on antibiotics, but the problem eventually required another hospitalization.

Doctors determined that she had developed a staphylococcus infection in the incision.

Philipps underwent debridement surgery on April 27 to clear the infection and remove one of the tiny titanium tacks that had been placed in her skull during her original brain surgery.

Fortunately, Golfinos said doctors caught the infection early enough that it had not become deep.

Emotionally, however, the second surgery was difficult for Philipps.

“The second surgery really threw me,” she admitted. “I just felt like I was back to square one, and I was really, really upset.”

Golfinos said Philipps ultimately recovered quickly again, describing her as “indomitable.”

Busy Philipps’ MRI.

Looking at the Experience With Gratitude

Despite everything she endured, Philipps now focuses largely on how fortunate she was.

She is grateful that the full-body scan detected the tumor before she developed symptoms and thankful that her dermatologist recognized the infection before it became more serious.

“What am I? The luckiest girl in the world?” Philipps said.

At this point, she does not require chemotherapy or radiation treatment, though doctors will continue monitoring her through regular scans for any potential recurrence.

Golfinos said she has “a great chance” that the tumor may never return.

Philipps has also begun reconsidering unusual emotional experiences she had during the previous several years.

She recalled episodes of extreme emotional reactions, including crying until she vomited and sending angry, “inflammatory” messages. At the time, she assumed the changes might have been connected to perimenopause.

Now, she wonders whether the tumor pressing against her frontal lobe could have contributed.

Golfinos told her that doctors simply cannot know for certain.

Michelle Williams, however, reminded Philipps of something she had repeatedly said during the preceding years: “My brain feels broken.”

Philipps realized Williams was right.

She had sensed that something was wrong without consciously understanding what it was.

“I wasn’t consciously aware that anything was really wrong, but there was something that was misfiring,” Philipps said.

After surgery, she says the feeling has changed dramatically.

“My brain does not feel broken anymore.”

Now Philipps hopes that sharing her experience will encourage others — particularly women — to pay attention when their instincts tell them something may be wrong, even when routine medical tests appear normal.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information,” she said. “It’s only empowering.”