Christina Applegate’s health struggles have been well-known. She revealed years ago that she was dealing with multiple sclerosis. However, now, on a podcast appearance, Applegate revealed that it turns out she never had MS after all.
She was misdiagnosed.
That hasn’t stopped her health challenges from occurring, though. Applegate, who uses a cane to walk at times, said on the podcast that she still has challenges and indicated that it’s not clear what is causing them. She has been described as a “leading MS advocate” by CNN.
Applegate made the disclosure on the “MeSsy” podcast she shares with “Sopranos” star Jamie Lynn Sigler.
Christina Applegate Says a Doctor Told Her, ‘Congratulations. You Don’t Have MS’
On the podcast, Applegate said that a doctor told her, “Congratulations. You don’t have MS.” However, she didn’t feel happy about it. That’s because Applegate indicated that she didn’t suddenly feel better because she doesn’t have MS.
“You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I’m better,” Applegate told Sigler, who was also diagnosed with MS. “I haven’t gotten better, Jamie. If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways.
“I’m back at square one, that I don’t know what’s going on with me,” said Applegate. “It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down. It’s this weird feeling because I became this — you and I — the poster children for MS. … I had a f—ing reason as to why my day sucked every day.”
Applegate says she has the symptoms common with MS. “Why did this happen? I had every symptom of someone with MS. Every single one,” she added of the disease, which affects the central nervous system.
Christina Applegate Said in 2021 That She Was Diagnosed With MS, Calling It a ‘Strange Journey’
Applegate went public with the MS diagnosis in 2021, disclosing it on her X page.
“Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a**hole blocks it,” she wrote then.
“As one of my friends that has MS said ‘we wake up and take the indicated action,'” she wrote in another tweet. “And that’s what I do. So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo.”
According to TODAY, Applegate is also a breast cancer survivor.
She spoke about having MS in many interviews. “I live kind of in hell. I’m not out a lot, so this is a little difficult, just for my system. But of course, the support is wonderful, and I’m really grateful,” Applegate said in a 2024 interview with Good Morning America. She made those comments after receiving a standing ovation at the Emmy Awards.
According to NBC News, during the awards show appearance, she joked, “You’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up, but it’s fine.”
Christina Applegate Says She Doesn’t Have MS After All