Busy Philipps Reveals Brain Tumor Diagnosis—and Details Roller-Coaster Recovery at Her $6.5 Million New York Home

Actress Busy Philipps has revealed she was diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumor that required her to undergo a major surgery—just weeks before she was due to start filming a new TV series in her hometown of New York City.

Philipps, 47, laid bare her brutal health struggles in a candid interview with People magazine, explaining how the tumor was discovered during a full-body scan that she had been inspired to undergo after the death of her "Dawson's Creek" co-star James Van Der Beek.

Prior to the scan, the "Cupertino" actress, who was born in Illinois and raised in Arizona, said she had not experienced any symptoms.

"I didn’t know why I wanted to get this scan except for the fact that I just did," she said.

However, after booking the scan, Philipps ended up having to postpone her appointment from January to February because of a blizzard in New York. In the end, the new date chosen ended up being just one day after Van Der Beek died following a battle with colon cancer.

Philipps admitted that she was tempted to cancel the scan after learning the news of her friend's death, but was persuaded to go through with it by her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein. He told her that it might end up being "the best thing" she could do to honor Van Der Beek's memory in the moment.

The following day, just after she had concluded a meeting with "Cupertino" creators Robert and Michelle King, she received the results of the scan, which indicated that she had a lesion on her brain—one that required an urgent follow-up MRI.

That second scan revealed that Philipps had a tumor, which her doctor at NYU Langone told her had "to come out" as soon as possible.

Speaking to People about the aftermath of that diagnosis, the actress recalled the moment that she broke the news to her daughters, Birdie, 18, and Cricket, 13, whom she shares with Silverstein.

Her older child, she revealed, "was kind of beside herself and really, really scared," while her younger sibling was much more restrained in her reaction—simply wanting to ensure that her mother would be "fine."

Philipps underwent a five-hour surgery to remove the tumor on March 2, after which the 2.6-centimeter mass was biopsied. Those tests revealed that the "White Chicks" star had an oligodendroglioma, a type of tumor that is found in just 1,100 to 1,300 people each year in the U.S.

The surgery required Philipps to be given more than 40 surgical staples in her head.

According to her doctors, had she waited to undergo testing until she was experiencing symptoms, Philipps' tumor likely would have grown to two or three times the size it was when it was removed.

Just two days after the surgery, Philipps was able to return to her New York City home: a stunning townhouse that she and Silverstein purchased for $6.5 million in 2021, around a year before they announced that they had separated.

Philipps explained that her home was inundated with friends and loved ones who wanted to help with her recovery. Her former "Dawson's Creek" co-star and close friend Michelle Williams even arranged a food delivery service for her.

Initially, the actress said that she experienced very little pain around the surgery site—and within five weeks, she was ready to start filming "Cupertino," which was largely taped in and around New York, enabling her to remain at home with her children throughout the project.

However, she suffered a terrifying scare in April when her dermatologist raised serious concerns about the wound during a routine Botox appointment—advising Philipps to send a picture of her head to her surgeons immediately.

She was then diagnosed with staphylococcus, a bacterial infection that required her to undergo debridement surgery to remove the damaged and infected tissue. The procedure made her feel as if she'd taken a huge step back in her recovery, she admitted.

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

However, according to her doctor, she "bounced right back" after the second procedure—and is now doing her best to encourage others to be better about monitoring their own health, explaining that her initial interest in the full-body scan was shrugged off by her primary care physician, who insisted it wasn't necessary.

"I'm grateful that I'm alive," Philipps noted.

The actress' diagnosis came less than six years after she relocated her family from Los Angeles to Manhattan, explaining at the time that she and her daughters wanted to take a break from California, particularly after her show, "Busy Tonight," was canceled.

The relocation ended up becoming much more permanent after she was offered a role in Tina Fey's hit series, "Girls5eva," which was shot primarily in the city.

By mid-2021, Philipps and Silverstein had invested in a full-time home in Manhattan in the form of a stunning red brick townhouse in the upscale West Village neighborhood.

"A series of events brought us [to New York], including the [COVID-19] pandemic," she shared with Daily Front Row in a 2022 interview. "We were taking a break from Los Angeles when Tina Fey called me in September 2020 and asked me if I wanted to stay and do this TV show, 'Girls5eva.'

"We stayed and it kind of snowballed—our kids love it and are thriving. The past few years have put things into perspective and asked all of us how we want to live our lives and what does that look like."

Despite their divorce, Silverstein and Philipps remain on incredibly good terms and are co-parenting their daughters together in the city.

The former couple even hosted a joint garage sale in 2024, when they emptied out their combined storage unit and sold a host of big-ticket items to raise money for charity.

In the time since they purchased their New York abode, Philipps has made several significant updates to the property, with social media posts shared on her Instagram revealing the addition of some custom built-ins in the main living area, new shelving in the kitchen, and several colorful pieces of art throughout the home.