Bijou Phillips Fears She Could Be Gone in Days — What We Know About Her Life-Threatening Health Struggles
Over the last several years, Bijou Phillips has garnered headlines when her ex-husband, Danny Masterson, stood trial and when she filed for divorce. Now, she is in the spotlight again for a very different reason.
Phillips is fighting for her life after a serious medical condition landed her in the hospital. where she fears she could die in a matter of days if complications arise. Here's what there is to know about her ongoing health battle.
What We Know About Bijou Phillips’ Medical Crisis
On February 11, 2026, Bijou Phillips shared on Instagram that she had been hospitalized and placed on dialysis as she was urgently seeking a kidney donor. The actor also detailed her lifelong health struggles due to being born with underdeveloped kidneys that kept her in the NICU for the first three months of her life. In 2017, a friend donated a kidney to Phillips, giving her eight years of improved health.
Just over two weeks later, during a Us Weekly interview, Phillips provided a stark update. When she was asked about how soon she needs a transplant, she described herself as "hanging on by a thread" and revealed that her life could end in a matter of days if things go wrong.
"I’ve needed a transplant for a year. I’m sort of hanging on by a thread... I’ve been immunosuppressed for so long… I could make it on dialysis for a couple years, or I could get an infection in my line tomorrow and be gone in a few days. I’m really hopeful, [but] it’s an extremely urgent situation."
Phillips also explained that she knows firsthand how quickly someone in her condition could have things go wrong and die, as she recounted what led to her father passing away.
"My dad had a liver transplant when I was 10, and then when I was 20, he had to get on dialysis at UCLA. The medication you take when you’re transplanted is very toxic to kidneys. So when you get a transplant — heart or liver or kidney — within a decade, you’re probably going to need a kidney transplant. My dad needed to get on dialysis after his liver transplant, [and] he got an infection in his line and was dead within three days because his immune system was so weak. So for me, getting on dialysis at UCLA was terrifying."
Bijou Phillips' father is John Phillips, a member of the pop group The Mamas & the Papas. When he died in 2001, ABC News' obituary revealed that he'd received a liver transplant years earlier.
Though outcomes vary, Bijou Phillips' concerns are well-founded because people undergoing dialysis face a greater risk of potentially deadly infections. According to the Mayo Clinic, dialysis patients who suffer sepsis can have it escalate to septic shock, causing their blood pressure to drop and organs to fail. In those cases, the mortality rate ranges from 30% to 40%. Early detection and aggressive treatment are vital for improving survival odds.
For those interested in becoming a living donor, sites like DonateLife.net provide resources to check eligibility and learn about kidney donation processes, including through programs like UCLA CORE Kidney.