Christina Applegate stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight in March 2026 to prioritize her health after six years of debilitating symptoms attributed to multiple sclerosis (MS).
When she returned to her MeSsy podcast on Tuesday, October 20, listeners expected an update on her well-being and how she had been coping during her time away.
Highlights
- Christina Applegate revealed she was misdiagnosed with MS in 2021 after experiencing debilitating symptoms.
- The actress opened up about the emotional toll of her health struggles and her uncertainty about where she now fits in the MS community.
- A neurologist revealed that nearly one in five people diagnosed with MS may not actually have the condition.
Instead, the conversation took an unexpected turn when Applegate revealed that she had been misdiagnosed.
The actress grew emotional as she explained that the revelation had left her with more questions than answers about her deteriorating condition.
“I’m back at square one where I don’t know what’s going on with me,” she said.
Christina Applegate broke down as she revealed her MS diagnosis was incorrect
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease that damages myelin, the protective covering surrounding nerves in the central nervous system.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, MS can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness, memory loss, and gastrointestinal issues.
Applegate experienced several of these symptoms and was even seen using a cane while standing onstage at the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards.
However, she was informed earlier this year that she did not have MS.
The actress revealed that it was this news that caused her to step away from the public eye.
Recalling her reaction to the revelation, Applegate shared, “I was like not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”
“You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I’m better,” she continued.
“I haven’t gotten better, Jamie! If anything, I’ve gotten worse,” she added, addressing her co-host, Jamie-Lynn Sigler.
Applegate explained that her doctors were currently conducting an investigation to “find out what had been going on” with her since 2021.
Applegate discussed the wider impact of her deteriorating health on the podcast
In Part 2 of MeSsy, Applegate opened up about the "depression" she had experienced as a result of her incorrect diagnosis.
“I lost my job, I lost my — I’m sorry. What do you say to someone who’s been living this for six years — God, I’m so sorry — because it stopped my life,” she said.
The actress also revealed that she still has to “use wheelchairs” for doctor’s appointments because she can not “walk from the car to the room.”
Despite being told that she no longer had MS, Applegate emphasized that “nothing magical happened” to improve her condition.
A neurologist who joined Applegate and Sigler explained why MS misdiagnoses occur
Dr. Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, explained that MS misdiagnoses occur partly because “we don’t have one single test for MS.”
“It’s not like we have something like a pregnancy test that says, ‘Yes, you have it.’ ‘No. You don’t have it.’ It’s a list of criteria,” she explained.
Kaisey added that nearly 20% of people diagnosed with MS eventually discover that they do not have the disease.
“Almost one in five of these people who’ve been told they had MS, some for decades, didn’t actually have it. And a majority of them were on medication to treat their MS,” she said.
The misdiagnosis has left Applegate questioning her place in the MS community
During the podcast, Applegate admitted that she now felt as though she had let down people living with multiple sclerosis.
“It’s this weird feeling because I became this — you and I, the poster children for MS. And everything I was doing. I had a reason. I had a f***ing reason as to why my day sucked every day. And now I don’t have a reason and it’s very unnerving and it’s very confusing for me,” she explained.
Ultimately, Applegate described her ongoing health struggles as “the same game with a different name.”
In April, reports emerged that the actress had been admitted to a healthcare facility for treatment.
The news of her misdiagnosis comes after Applegate told People in August that she had returned home from the hospital and was “doing very well.”
"So what is causing her symptoms then," a netizen asked
