Inside Christina Applegate's Health Crisis as Hollywood Star Reveals She Was Misdiagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis
There’s no single definitive test for MS; doctors assess multiple criteria.
Oct. 20 2026, Published 3:08 p.m. ET
Christina Applegate has learned that she does not have multiple sclerosis, more than five years after publicly revealing her diagnosis. But instead of bringing relief, the news has left the actress searching for answers as her debilitating symptoms continue.
Applegate, 54, shared the update Tuesday, Oct. 20, on MeSsy, the podcast she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler. During the emotional episode, she recalled the moment her doctor delivered the unexpected news.
“She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS,’” Applegate said. “I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”
The diagnosis had given Applegate an explanation for the symptoms that had disrupted her life since 2021. Now, she says she is back at the beginning of the search for answers.
Christina Applegate's Symptoms Have Not Gone Away
Applegate says her symptoms have continued despite the diagnosis change.
Learning that she does not have MS has not changed Applegate’s physical condition. She continues to deal with serious mobility issues and said she still needs wheelchairs when visiting doctors because she cannot walk from her car into the office.
“You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden I’m better,” she said. “I haven’t gotten better. If anything, I’ve gotten worse.”
Applegate has previously spoken about numbness, tingling, balance problems, and difficulty walking. She said her doctors are now investigating what has been causing her symptoms since 2021.
The new development follows years of significant health challenges. Applegate was hospitalized for nearly four months in 2026 and has previously said she had been hospitalized more than 30 times over three years.
Neurologist Explains MS Diagnosis Challenges
Applegate’s original MS diagnosis came in 2021.
Dr. Marwa Kaisey, an associate professor in the neurology department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, joined Applegate and Sigler on the podcast to discuss the complexities of diagnosing MS.
Kaisey explained that there is no single test that definitively establishes an MS diagnosis. Doctors instead rely on symptoms, medical history, imaging, and other testing, while also ruling out conditions that can cause similar symptoms.
Applegate said her original diagnosis followed MRIs and a spinal tap, with scans showing lesions on her brain.
Kaisey said research has found that nearly one in five people previously told they have MS may have been misdiagnosed, underscoring how difficult the condition can be to identify accurately.
Applegate Says She Feels She Let People Down
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She still faces mobility challenges and uses a wheelchair for some visits.
Applegate has spent years publicly discussing MS and advocating for people living with the disease. She now says losing that diagnosis has created an unexpected emotional burden.
“I feel like I let everybody down,” she said, explaining that she and Sigler had become “the poster children for MS.”
Sigler, who has her own MS diagnosis, has continued to support Applegate as she processes the news. The two have used MeSsy to openly discuss their health experiences and the challenges surrounding the disease.
Applegate’s diagnosis also shaped her career. While completing the final season of Netflix’s Dead to Me, she used a wheelchair on set, and the production adjusted scenes to accommodate her mobility issues.
