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Bijou Phillips has been hospitalized and urgently needs a second kidney transplant after her first transplant failed.
The 45-year-old actress is currently under care at UCLA Health, where she has returned to dialysis while she waits for a living donor, a representative told TMZ on Wednesday.
Phillips received her first kidney from a friend in 2017, but complications over the years, including the BK virus, led to both cellular and antibody rejection, per the outlet.
Phillips' last public appearance was just a few weeks ago at Paris Hilton’s premiere for her Infinite Icon documentary, where she posed on the red carpet.
Daily Mail has reached out to Phillips' representatives for comment.
Moments after the news broke, Phillips took to Instagram with an emotional plea for help, urging followers to share her message and consider becoming a living donor.
Bijou Phillips has been hospitalized and urgently needs a second kidney transplant after her first transplant failed; (pictured January 20)
The 45-year-old actress is currently under care at UCLA Health, where she has returned to dialysis while she waits for a living donor; (pictured May 2024)
Moments after the news broke, Phillips took to Instagram with an emotional plea for help, urging followers to share her message and consider becoming a living donor
‘please read and share. and if you are interested in becoming a living donor, please go to the link in my bio and fill out a brief form. I am so grateful for your support, ’ she wrote alongside baby photos of her daughter, Fianna Francis Masterson, 12, whom she shares with ex-husband Danny Masterson.
In one of the posts, Phillips detailed her lifelong battle with kidney disease, writing: ‘I was born with underdeveloped kidneys and spent the first three months of life in the NICU on dialysis.
'In 2017, I received the incredible gift of a kidney from a dear friend.
'That transplant gave me 5 precious years to be a mother to my daughter - but I have had many complications since, including the BK virus which led to both a cellular and antibody rejection.
'I am currently under care of Dr Anjay Rastogi at UCLA and back on dialysis
'Please help me find a living donor so that I can have more time with my daughter, family, and friends. Time is of the essence.’
Another post, shared alongside a separate photo, underscored the urgency of her situation as she appealed directly to potential donors.
She wrote: ‘I’m asking as a friend, a sister, an aunt, and, most importantly, a single mother to an incredible and brave daughter. I am in need of a kidney.’
Another post, shared alongside a separate photo, underscored the urgency of her situation as she appealed directly to potential donors
In one of the posts, Phillips detailed her lifelong battle with kidney disease, writing: ‘I was born with underdeveloped kidneys and spent the first three months of life in the NICU on dialysis'
A third image included further information for those willing to help, reading: ‘Learn more about the donor process and how you can help.
'If you are interested in making a difference and becoming a living donor, please fill out the brief questionnaire via the link below. It will only take 15 seconds and can save a life.’
Back in 2017, Phillips’ then-husband Masterson publicly shared news of her kidney transplant, revealing on social media that she had received a life-saving donation and was beginning her recovery.
The That ’70s Show actor posted a black-and-white image showing Phillips and her donor holding hands from neighboring hospital beds, alongside the caption: ‘100% successful transplant. Now the real work begins.’
In a longer message, Masterson wrote that his wife had been ‘slowly dying for the past 7 years of an incurable kidney disease,’ before thanking ‘the amazing person who donated their kidney to Bijou,’ saying she had been ‘given the gift of an encore by a tall angel.’
He added, ‘We do not take lightly how incredibly fortunate we are. 100% successful transplant,’ before continuing: ‘Now the real work begins for her to silence any chance of rejection,’ wrote the New York native.
According to the Mayo Clinic, kidney transplant recipients face roughly a four per cent risk of failure or serious complications within the first year following surgery, a figure that rises to around 21 per cent after five years.
Back in 2017, Phillips’ then-husband Masterson publicly shared news of her kidney transplant, revealing on social media that she had received a life-saving donation and was beginning her recovery
Masterson, Phillips and their daughter Fianna are pictured years before he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape
Phillips’ health struggles were first made public in February 2017, when she was rushed to a hospital in Santa Barbara after developing a blood infection that left her seriously ill with a high fever.
At the time, a representative for the couple said Phillips ‘was born with small kidneys’ and had been ‘quietly dealing with [the] disease for the last five years, including being on the transplant list.’
Phillips and Masterson, both Scientologists, married in Ireland in 2011 after eight years together and welcomed their daughter in 2014.
She filed for divorce from Masterson in September 2023 - less than two weeks after he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape - citing irreconcilable differences and seeking custody of their daughter.
English (US) ·