Bijou Phillips Seeks Living Kidney Donor as Health Complications Worsen

Bijou Phillips is urgently searching for a living kidney donor as she remains hospitalized at UCLA and is undergoing dialysis following complications from a previous transplant.

The actress and model, who received a kidney transplant in 2017, revealed in an emotional Instagram post that her transplanted organ has since failed due to medical complications. “Please help me find a living donor so that I can have more time with my daughter, family, and friends,” Phillips wrote. “Time is of the essence.”

Phillips has faced kidney-related health challenges since birth. In her statement, she explained that she was born with underdeveloped kidneys and spent the first three months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit on dialysis. Decades later, after years of declining kidney function, she received what she described as “the incredible gift of a kidney from a dear friend” in 2017.

That transplant, she said, allowed her to experience nearly eight additional years with her daughter. “That transplant gave me 8 precious years to be a mother,” Phillips wrote, noting that she has endured “many complications” since the surgery.

Among those complications was the BK virus, also known as polyomavirus BK, which can pose a significant risk to transplant recipients. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the virus can lie dormant in many individuals without causing symptoms. However, because transplant patients require immunosuppressive medications to prevent organ rejection, the virus can reactivate and attack the transplanted kidney. Phillips said she developed both cellular and antibody-mediated rejection as a result of the infection.

She is now back on dialysis while awaiting another transplant.

In an effort to accelerate the search for a compatible donor, Phillips shared a link to a Google Form for potential candidates to complete. The questionnaire requests basic medical information, including blood type, age, and chronic health conditions. “It will only take 15 seconds and can save a life,” she wrote. Framing the appeal in deeply personal terms, Phillips added, “I’m asking as a friend, a sister, an aunt, and most importantly, a single mother to an incredible and brave daughter.”

Phillips, 44, shares an 11-year-old daughter with actor Danny Masterson. She currently has full custody. Masterson was sentenced in 2023 to 30 years to life in prison after being convicted of two counts of forcible rape. Phillips filed for divorce shortly after his sentencing, ending their nearly 12-year marriage.

Living kidney donation is considered one of the most successful forms of organ transplantation, often offering recipients improved long-term outcomes compared to organs from deceased donors. Donors typically undergo extensive medical and psychological screening before being approved. While any major surgery carries risks, living kidney donors can live healthy lives with one kidney.

The need for organ donors remains acute nationwide. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), more than 90,000 people in the United States are currently waiting for a kidney transplant, and wait times for deceased-donor organs can stretch for years depending on blood type and region.

Phillips has not disclosed further details about her medical prognosis, but her public appeal underscores the urgency of her situation. As she continues dialysis treatment, her hope now rests on finding a compatible donor willing to step forward.