Christina Applegate Tearfully Reveals MS Misdiagnosis After 5 Years of Suffering: ‘I Lost Everything’

Getty

Christina Applegate health update

Christina Applegate has spent the past five years living with debilitating health problems she believed were caused by multiple sclerosis. Now, the actress has revealed she never had the disease, even as her symptoms continue to worsen.

Applegate — who was diagnosed with MS in 2021 — tearfully admitted the news has been hard to process, especially because doctors still haven’t pinned down what is causing her ongoing health problems.

The 54-year-old “Dead to Me” star broke down in tears while discussing the misdiagnosis during her return to the “MeSsy” podcast on Tuesday, October 20. 

She shared the news with co-host and friend Jamie-Lynn Sigler after a months-long absence from the show.

Christina Applegate Recalls Doctor’s Shocking Revelation

Applegate struggled to understand why others celebrated the news when her daily health problems stayed the same.

“She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS,’ ” Applegate recalled through tears, as People reported. “I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”

Sigler, 45, listened as her longtime friend explained that losing the diagnosis also meant losing the only explanation she had received for years of worsening symptoms.

“You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I’m better,” Applegate said.

“I haven’t gotten better, Jamie! If anything, I’ve gotten worse.”

The update comes after a months-long hospital stay. The actress was reportedly admitted in late March 2026, and news of her hospitalization surfaced in April. 

She shared occasional updates with fans on Instagram before heading home in August. 

TMZ reported that she was discharged after nearly four months, with a source saying she was home and doing well.

Christina Applegate Says Her Health Has Not Improved

The Emmy winner admitted that the revelation has taken a devastating emotional toll, particularly because she remains unable to perform many everyday activities independently.

“I’ve gone through a great depression because of it. But I lost everything. I lost my job,” she said during the podcast’s second episode.

Applegate explained that she still needs a wheelchair during medical appointments because walking even short distances remains difficult. “I can’t walk from the car to the room. I’m still in this.”

Her doctors must now investigate what has caused her symptoms since 2021.

Applegate Feels She Has Let Down the MS Community

Applegate also admitted that the misdiagnosis has left her struggling with her connection to the MS community, where she had become a prominent voice since revealing her diagnosis in 2021.

“It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down,” she confessed.

The “Married… with Children” actress explained that her diagnosis had provided a reason for the physical challenges she experienced every day. Without it, she feels confused about what comes next.

Applegate said she remains in a “state of shock” and took time away from recording to process the news.

Doctor Explains Why MS Can Be Misdiagnosed

According to People, Dr. Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, joined the podcast to discuss the difficulties of diagnosing MS.

Kaisey explained that no single definitive test exists for the disease. She said research suggests nearly one in five people previously diagnosed with MS may not actually have it.

For Applegate, however, the immediate priority remains finding an explanation for her debilitating symptoms.

Despite the uncertainty, she described her continuing health journey as “the same game with a different name.”