Busy Philipps is opening up about a health scare she calls the "weirdest six months" of her life, revealing in a People cover story published Wednesday, August 26, that she was diagnosed earlier this year with a rare brain tumor — despite having no obvious symptoms.

How the Tumor Was Discovered

The 47-year-old Dawson's Creek and Freaks and Geeks actress said the discovery began in June 2025, when she asked her doctor about full-body MRI screenings during her yearly physical. Her doctor told her there was no need, since she was healthy. Despite that reassurance, Philipps decided to go ahead with a Prenuvo full-body MRI scan anyway. "I didn't know why I wanted to get this scan except for the fact that I just did," she told People, adding she had seen the scans advertised on social media and had no symptoms suggesting anything was wrong.

A Difficult Week Surrounding the Scan

The timing of her scan carried extra emotional weight: the day before her appointment, her friend and former Dawson's Creek co-star James Van Der Beek died following his own public cancer battle, and the day after her scan she was set to meet with the creators of her upcoming show, Cupertino. Philipps said she considered canceling the scan altogether given the circumstances, but a conversation with her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein, convinced her to go through with it.

The Diagnosis

The scan caught a 2.6-centimeter tumor, which doctors confirmed was a grade 2 oligodendroglioma — a rare, slow-growing malignant brain tumor. Philipps recalled her doctor telling her: "This is a real tumor, and it's inside your brain. And Busy, it's got to come out." She said her life "was sort of flashing before my eyes a little bit" in that moment, adding: "I was hyperventilating and trying to breathe."

Getting to Surgery

Philipps connected with her daughter's neurologist, Dr. Orrin Devinsky — who treats her daughter for epilepsy — to review the scan; he confirmed the tumor needed to come out and introduced her to Dr. Golfinos, who performed the surgery. In typical fashion, Philipps managed to find some levity even in the lead-up to brain surgery, telling Golfinos she'd agree to the procedure with two conditions: that she'd need to start filming Cupertino within six weeks, and — half-joking — whether she could get a temporal brow lift at the same time. "I'm 46 and an actress and it was the summer of the facelift and I just felt like, if you could pull it a little tighter, is that a thing?" she recalled telling her surgeon.

The First Surgery

In March, Philipps underwent surgery to remove the tumor. She was sent home with 40 stitches in her head and only minor swelling, and soon shifted her focus toward her role in Cupertino, the new series from The Good Wife creators Michelle and Robert King.

A Frightening Complication

Just as she was settling into her recovery, Philipps hit an unexpected setback during a routine visit to her dermatologist for Botox. Her dermatologist noticed the surgical incision and immediately flagged it. "She's like, 'That doesn't look right. I'm not going to touch it — can I take a picture of it and will you send it to your surgeons right now?' And I did and they immediately were like, 'That doesn't look good,'" Philipps recalled. It was quickly confirmed she had contracted a staphylococcus infection at the incision site, requiring a second, debridement surgery to clear the infection and remove one of the titanium tacks placed in her skull during the original procedure.

What the Prognosis Looks Like

According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 69% and 90% of people with low-grade oligodendrogliomas are alive five years after diagnosis, with survival rates potentially even higher among younger adults — a considerably more favorable outlook than higher-grade versions of the tumor, which carry a five-year survival rate of 45% to 76%.

Her Message to Others

Philipps has been vocal about wanting her experience to encourage others to trust their instincts about their own health, even when reassured otherwise by doctors. "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 said. "There's nothing to be afraid of in having information." She described herself as "the luckiest girl in the world" for having followed through on a scan her doctor had initially talked her out of.

Moving Forward

With both surgeries now behind her, Philipps has continued moving forward with her career, including her role in Cupertino and her ongoing work on Netflix's Girls5eva. For the full interview, see the original People magazine cover story.

This is a sensitive health topic. If Busy Philipps' story has you thinking about your own health or a loved one's, it's worth discussing full-body screening options with your own doctor.