Busy Philipps reveals James Van Der Beek’s death led to own brain tumour diagnosis
Busy Philipps and James Van Der Beek (Getty Images)
Busy Philipps has revealed that she discovered she had a rare malignant brain tumour just one day after the death of her former Dawson’s Creek co-star James Van Der Beek.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Philipps, 47, said she learned that a 2.6cm Grade 2 oligodendroglioma had been found in her brain during a full-body MRI on 12 February. The timing was particularly striking as Van Der Beek had died from colorectal cancer at 48 the previous day (11 February).
Philipps, a vocal LGBTQ+ ally, recalled that, while on the phone with her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein, the following day, he encouraged her to go to a scheduled scan to honour Van Der Beek. Philipps ultimately decided to go to that appointment because Silverstein felt it would be something that Van Der Beek would’ve wanted.
Philipps had been considering cancelling the MRI. Her primary care doctor had previously talked her out of having the scan in 2025, but she ultimately scheduled it after a conversation with her relative, internist Dr Justin Donlan, who told her that “knowledge is power”.
When the scan revealed a lesion on her brain, Philipps initially texted Silverstein that she had a “brain tumour” but thought it was probably benign. Further testing brought a much more serious answer. A neurologist told her: “This is a real tumour, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out.”
The diagnosis left Philipps “hyperventilating and trying to breathe”, and she had to tell her two children, Birdie, 18, and Cricket, 13. She recalled reassuring Birdie that she wasn’t “in the movie where your mom dies your senior year of high school”.
Undergoing treatment
On 2 March, Philipps underwent a five-hour operation to remove the tumour. Her neuro-oncologist, Dr John Golfinos, said the tumour is considered malignant because of its potential to regrow, but stressed that it has the best prognosis of all malignant gliomas. He also said detecting it early was significant because it would have been much more difficult to completely remove if it had grown to two or three times its size.
Her recovery was complicated by a staph infection at the incision site, discovered about a month after the first surgery, which required another operation. Philipps said the setback left her feeling as though she was “back to square one.”
Now, she says she no longer feels like her “brain is broken”, which is something she had told close friend Michelle Williams before her diagnosis. Philipps said she had felt for several years that something was “misfiring”, even though she wasn’t consciously aware that anything was seriously wrong.
Reflecting on the experience, Philipps said she is “grateful that I’m alive” and called herself “the luckiest girl in the world”.
She also shared a message about trusting your instincts when something doesn’t feel right, particularly when seeking medical answers: “There’s nothing to be afraid of in having information. It’s only empowering.”
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