Busy Philipps was diagnosed with a rare malignant tumor when she went to get a full-body MRI at the beginning of 2026.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleActress Busy Philipps is grabbing all the headlines after she opened up about her recent health scare. For those unaware, Busy, who is best known for her roles in Dawson’s Creek, revealed that she was diagnosed with a rare malignant tumor when she went to get a full-body MRI at the beginning of 2026. Her revelation left several fans shocked and concerned for her well-being.
During an interview with PEOPLE, Busy Philipps recounted her frightening and frenzied experience of having a rare malignant tumor. According to her, it has been the “weirdest six months” for her. She claimed that she had become interested in getting a full-body MRI scan when she came across information related to it on Instagram. At that time, Busy’s primary doctor had told her there was “no need” for her to get the scan as she appeared young and healthy.
She had also never presented any obvious signs of having a tumor, such as seizures. Speaking about the MRI that checks for more than 500 conditions, Busy said, “I don't know why I wanted to get this scan except for the fact that I just did.”
It was Busy’s cousin-in-law, Dr. Justin Donlan, who played a significant part in the actress making up her mind about getting the scan. She told him that when it comes to a person’s overall wellness, “knowledge is power.” Busy admitted that what he said really resonated with her.
Busy Philipps originally had her appointment scheduled for January 2026, but it got postponed due to a blizzard, forcing her to push it back to February 12, 2026. It was a really emotional and hectic time for the actress. Just the day before her appointment, the news broke that her Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek passed away from colon cancer.
That's not all; the next day, Busy Philipps had to go meet with Robert and Michelle King, the creators of Cupertino, for a potential role. The actress was also scheduled to fly to Arizona to help out her older sister, Leigh Ann. At that time, Leigh was undergoing a medical procedure of her own.
Busy confessed that the timing of it all made her consider not going to the appointment. But thankfully, her ex-husband and close friend, Marc Silverstein, told her that maybe it was the best thing she could do for her late friend, James, that morning. After getting the MRI, the scan revealed that Busy had a lesion on her brain. They would need to conduct a follow-up MRI to understand what exactly the lesion was.
Busy Philipps surprisingly kept her cool despite the serious nature of the situation. Recalling the texts she sent to her ex-husband after the revelation, she said:
“The texts to my ex-husband are comical. While I was on the phone with Dr. Donlan, I texted Marc, ‘OMG I have a brain tumor.’ And he wrote back, ‘Busy, what? What are you saying? What are you talking about?’ I was like, ‘It looks fine. It’s probably benign. I don’t know.’”
By the time she went to her follow-up MRI, Busy’s neurologist made it clear to her that it was indeed a real tumor and that “it's got to come out.” On March 2, 2026, Busy underwent a surgery that lasted five hours to remove a 2.6-centimetre mass. It was identified as a grade 2 oligodendroglioma. While it is considered malignant, it has the “best prognosis of all the malignant gliomas.”
Some time after the surgery, Busy Philipps contracted staphylococcus in her incision. This forced her back into the hospital for another surgery. Busy said:
“The second surgery really threw me. I just felt like I was back to square one, and I was really, really upset.”
While recovering, Busy had the support of not only her close friends but also her Dawson’s Creek co-star Michelle Williams. Even after going through the health scare, Busy thought of herself as the “luckiest girl in the world.” She added:
“I'm grateful that I'm alive.”
What are your thoughts on Busy Philipps’ opening about her health scares?
Also read: Tim Curry Dies After Battling Health Issues, Suffered Stroke In 2012, Had An Emergency Brain Surgery