In Brief:
- Christina Applegate said Tuesday on her "MeSsy" podcast that her five-year multiple sclerosis diagnosis was a misdiagnosis.
- Applegate, 54, says her symptoms have worsened, and doctors are investigating their cause since 2021.
- Dr. Marwa Kaisey of Cedars-Sinai said nearly one in five people told they had MS never had it.
Image Credit: Christina Applegate/Instagram
Christina Applegate: Christina Applegate has shared a stunning health update.
The actress says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She lived with that diagnosis for five years.
She opened up on Tuesday during an episode of her "MeSsy" podcast. She was in tears.
Her voice broke as she described the moment she got the news.
Her doctor walked into the room with an unexpected message. "Congratulations, you don't have MS."
Applegate did not feel relief. She felt the opposite. Everyone around her was thrilled. She was not.
No Relief, No Recovery
Applegate made one thing clear. A new diagnosis did not fix her health.
Her symptoms are still severe. If anything, she says, they have gotten worse.
She now feels like she is "back at square one." She does not know what is causing her condition.
Her doctors plan to dig into that question. They want to understand what has been happening to her since 2021.
The 54-year-old star of "Married... with Children" and "Dead to Me" described how much the diagnosis cost her.
She fell into a deep depression. She lost her job. Her life, she said, came to a halt.
Her daily reality has not changed. She still uses a wheelchair at doctor's appointments.
She cannot walk from the car to the exam room. Nothing magical happened when she was told she did not have MS.
A Loss of Identity
Applegate also spoke about her place in the MS community. For years, she was one of its most visible voices.
She called herself and her co-host "poster children" for the disease.
Now she feels strange about it. She said she feels as if she let people down.
The hardest part may be the uncertainty. For years, she had an explanation for her rough days.
Now she has none. She called that feeling unnerving and confusing.
She also said she remains in a state of shock. She described the news as a deeply jarring experience.
An Expert Weighs In
Applegate co-hosts the podcast with actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who lives with MS.
Applegate had not appeared on the show since March.
She said she stepped away to process the news. She was also dealing with other health issues.
Her return was a two-part event. The pair welcomed a special guest.
Dr. Marwa Kaisey is an associate professor in the neurology department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
She explained how a mistake like this can happen.
Her answer was eye-opening. MS misdiagnosis is fairly common, she said. There is no single test for the disease.
It is not like a pregnancy test with a clear yes or no. Doctors instead rely on a list of criteria.
Kaisey shared a startling statistic. Nearly one in five people who were told they had MS did not actually have it.
Some carried that label for decades. Most of them were taking medication for the disease.
A Difficult Year
Applegate has been open about her health since 2021. Her latest struggles have been serious.
She left the hospital in early August. Her stay had begun in March. The reason for her admission remains unclear.
Her representative said at the time that she has a long history of complicated medical conditions.
The rep added that she has been refreshingly open about them.
In April, she thanked fans for their love and support. She did not share details. She said health issues are a constant in her life.
She also called herself strong and said she is getting stronger every day.
This is not her first recent medical scare. In August 2025, she told podcast listeners about a kidney infection.
It left her in the hospital with intense pain.
In a February interview with People, she described her daily routine. She said she is mostly confined to bed.
One thing still matters most. She drives her 15-year-old daughter, Sadie LeNoble, to school. She calls it her favorite thing to do.
Her goal on those mornings is simple. Get her daughter there safely. Then get home and back into bed.
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