Busy Philipps is facing a difficult situation at age 47: she has a rare malignant brain tumor

B usy Philipps has spent much of 2026 dealing with a health crisis that she kept largely private until now, revealing that doctors discovered a rare brain tumor and that she subsequently underwent two operations.

The actress , 47, shared the details of the ordeal in a new interview with PEOPLE, describing the past several months as “the weirdest six months of [her] life.”

She also said she is “grateful to be alive” and reflected on how different her situation might have been if she had not followed through with a medical scan she had seriously considered canceling.

The discovery came on February 12, when Philipps underwent a Prenuvo full-body MRI. She had no obvious symptoms that made a brain tumor seem likely, and she had previously been advised by her primary-care doctor that the extensive scan was unnecessary.

A conversation with her cousin-in-law, internist Dr. Justin Donlan , nevertheless persuaded her to proceed. His argument that “knowledge is power” stayed with Philipps , who ultimately arranged the appointment.

Even then, she nearly abandoned the plan. The appointment had already been delayed from January, and other responsibilities were competing for her attention. Her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein , ultimately encouraged her not to walk away from the examination.

The circumstances surrounding the scan made the result even more difficult to process. Philipps had learned only the previous day that her former Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek had died from cancer.

She was therefore facing an intensely emotional moment when the imaging revealed an abnormality.

At first, Philipps attempted to make light of the discovery when communicating with Silverstein. That changed after additional testing.

A neurologist ultimately explained the seriousness of the finding: “This is a real tumor, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out.”

The diagnosis was a grade 2 oligodendroglioma. These tumors are relatively uncommon and generally develop slowly, with their symptoms depending heavily on where they occur in the brain.

The first operation was successful, but her recovery took another turn

Doctors removed a 2.6-centimeter mass during a procedure lasting approximately five hours on March 2. The fact that the tumor had been caught relatively early proved significant. Philipps ' neuro-oncologist, Dr. Alexandra Miller , explained that waiting longer could have allowed it to become considerably larger and more difficult to remove completely.

“It is considered malignant, but it has the best prognosis of all of the malignant gliomas,” Miller told PEOPLE. “It’s sort of defined as a cancerous tumor based on the ability of the tumor to regrow over time, rather than it looking very malignant under the microscope.”

Philipps ' treatment did not end with the initial operation. While she was recovering, a dermatologist noticed that something was wrong with the surgical incision. Doctors discovered a staphylococcus infection, requiring Philipps to return for another procedure.

That second surgery proved emotionally difficult because it came after she had already begun to believe that the worst part of the experience was behind her.

“I just felt like I was back to square one,” Philipps explained. “I was really, really upset.”

Despite that setback, Philipps has since returned to work. She began filming her upcoming CBS series Cupertino only weeks after her initial surgery, according to reports about her recovery.

She will continue to undergo regular scans to check for any recurrence. At present, she does not require chemotherapy or radiation, adding another reason for cautious optimism following the surgery.

The experience has also caused Philipps to reconsider certain things she had noticed about herself in the years before her diagnosis.

She had previously told close friend Michelle Williams that she felt as though her “brain is broken,” although there is no definitive indication that every change she experienced was caused by the tumor.

“I’ve been saying this for the last few years,” Philipps noted. “I wasn’t consciously aware that anything was really wrong, but there was something that was misfiring. Like, I could not get a handle on it.”

Now, she says she feels different following treatment.

For Philipps , one of the biggest lessons from the experience has been the value of investigating concerns rather than automatically dismissing them.

“We are frequently told by doctors that there is nothing to worry about [when] you kind of know that there’s something to worry about,” she added. “There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering.”

Her decision to go ahead with the scan ultimately led to a diagnosis she never expected. While she still faces long-term monitoring, the early discovery, successful removal and favorable prognosis have allowed the actress to approach the next stage of her life with a renewed sense of gratitude.