Bijou Phillips is in need of a kidney transplant.
The 45-year-old model is currently hospitalized at UCLA Health Core Kidney, undergoing dialysis while waiting for a donor, her agent Cade Hudson confirmed to Page Six on Wednesday.
Phillips received her first kidney transplant from a friend in 2017. But Page Six has heard that his kidneys are failing and he needs another kidney transplant.
After her first transplant, Phillips suffered multiple complications, including an infection with human polyomavirus type 1, also known as the BK virus, which caused cell and antibody rejection.
Her condition is currently stable, but her representative said that “time is of the essence” as they search for a donor.
Phillips also took to social media on Wednesday to ask for help from her followers, sharing an intimate photo of her and her daughter Fianna when they were born.
“I need help finding a kidney,” she wrote above the photo, adding, “I need a kidney.”
The socialite detailed her long-term battle with kidney disease, as she was born with underdeveloped kidneys. She spent the first three months of her life in the NICU undergoing dialysis.
Phillips received her first transplant in 2017 after being rushed to the hospital with a fever in February. At the time, doctors diagnosed her with a blood infection.
TMZ reported that she was rushed to a hospital in Santa Barbara, California, accompanied by her ex-husband, Danny Masterson.
Her rep revealed that the model had been on the transplant list since 2012 and had adopted a vegan diet to improve her symptoms.
“Ultimately (it) wasn’t enough and she is privately undergoing dialysis,” he said, noting that she had just found out that her “friend” was a match.
Ahead of her surgery in April 2017, the actress posted a long message on Instagram thanking her donor for giving her a second chance at life.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this day,” she wrote at the time, according to People magazine.
“Dialysis has been a blessing, but it has also been extremely difficult. I had an infection and am having a second catheter inserted. This is a major surgery and FSGS is scary, but I am so thankful for my husband, daughter, and family.”
After Phillips finished his surgery, the “That’s 70s Show” actor revealed that the surgery was “100% successful,” People reported.
“My woman has been delaying her death for the past seven years with an incurable kidney disease. She has been given an encore gift by the Tall Angel. Our daughter will have a mother. We will not underestimate how incredibly lucky we are. The transplant was 100% successful,” he wrote in an Instagram post that included a photo of Phillips holding hands with an unidentified donor.
“Now the real work begins for her to silence the possibility of rejection. A big thank you to the perfect transplant team. And life is thanks to a glass of water. Slainte!”
Phillips and Masterson have gone their separate ways since September 2023, when he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for rape.
Just days after learning his fate, the Almost Famous star filed for an end to his marriage, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their breakup.
At the time, she requested spousal support and denied financial support to Masterson, according to documents obtained by PageSix.
The pair have been married for nearly 12 years and currently have an 11-year-old daughter, Fianna Frances.
Four months before filing for divorce, Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape in 2003 after a hung jury at his first trial in November 2022.
There were actually three women who came forward to accuse Mr. Masterson of sexual abuse, but one of the charges was dismissed.
During the trial, Phillips believed Masterson was innocent and even vowed never to divorce him.
She eventually won full custody of her daughter and applied to have the preschooler’s last name changed from Masterson to Phillips.
