Busy Philipps shares behind-the-scenes photos from ‘f–king crazy’ brain surgery journey

By Page Six | Created at 2026-08-27 14:53:47 | Updated at 2026-09-14 23:03:45 2 weeks ago

Busy Philipps shared behind-the-scenes photos from her brain surgery journey.

“It was f—king crazy you guys, to have a whole craniotomy brain surgery,” she shared on her Instagram Stories Wednesday.

In candid snaps, Philipps can be seen wearing a post-operative head dressing as she lay in a hospital bed.

Busy Philipps shared behind-the-scenes photos from her brain surgery journey. liviyakraemer/Instagram
In photos from the hospital, the actress can be seen wearing a gown and a post-operative head dressing. liviyakraemer/Instagram

Another photo showed her walking around in a hospital gown.

The 47-year-old also posted a video of a friend helping her wash her hair in the sink after returning home to prevent her incision from getting wet.

In her social media uploads, the actress recalled “panicking” as she was wheeled into the operating room for her first surgery so the anesthesiologist was forced to “sort of trick” her.

Another video showed her friend helping her wash her hair in the sink so she wouldn’t get her incision site wet. busyphilipps/Instagram
Philipps also showed her followers the parts of her hair that surgeons had to shave off. busyphilipps/Instagram

“The anesthesiologist saw that I was freaking out, and he was like, ‘Hey I’m just going to give you a little something to relax you. We aren’t starting anything yet.’ And then I woke up five hours later.”

She also showed parts of her hair that were starting to grow back after surgeons had to shave it off before the procedure.

“Part of the reason why I couldn’t share it publicly was because of my kids and I wanted to make sure I was OK before I talked about,” she told her followers. “I didn’t want them to have to deal with the added insanity of their mom publicly talking about it.”

She shares two children — Birdie, 18, and Cricket, 13 — with ex-husband Marc Silverstein.

The “Dawson’s Creek” alum recalled “panicking” while being wheeled into the operating room. busyphilipps/Instagram
She said the anesthesiologist helped calm her down and she woke up five hours later. busyphilipps/Instagram

Philipps also revealed that she had to start filming her CBS legal drama, “Cupertino,” just four and a half weeks after her surgeries.

“I had brain surgery and I just have to f—king lock in and just get through it. It’s been really insane,” she admitted.

The “Dawson’s Creek” alum revealed she was diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumor and underwent two brain surgeries for People Magazine’s Wednesday cover story.

The actress (pictured with daughter Birdie) explained that she kept her brain tumor journey from the public for her kids’ sake. Busy Philipps/Instagram
“I didn’t want them to have to deal with the added insanity of their mom publicly talking about it,” Philipps (pictured with daughter) Cricket said. Busy Philipps/Instagram

She told the outlet it was the “weirdest six months of [her] life” and that she’s “grateful that [she’s] alive.”

Philipps’ Grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare slow-growing tumor, was discovered during a Prenuvo full-body MRI on Feb. 12.

She underwent another MRI, with a neurologist subsequently telling her, “This is a real tumor, and it’s inside your brain. And Busy, it’s got to come out.”

On Wednesday, Philipps (pictured in June) revealed she was diagnosed with a rare malignant brain tumor for People Magazine’s Wednesday cover story. GC Images
Doctors removed the mass on March 2, but after developing an infection on the incision site, Philipps (seen above in March) had to undergo a second surgery. Getty Images for Betsey Johnson

The 2.6-centimeter mass was removed during a five-hour procedure on March 2.

However, she contracted staphylococcus on the incision site and needed a second surgery to clear the infection, which “really threw” her.

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

Now, the “White Chicks” star no longer feels like her “brain is broken.”

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