After five years of living with a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis, Christina Applegate has learned she doesn't have the disease after all. But for the 54-year-old actress, the news hasn't brought the relief one might expect.
Returning to her MeSsy podcast on October 20 after a seven-month absence, the Dead to Me star shared that doctors had determined her original diagnosis was incorrect. While the diagnosis has changed, her debilitating symptoms haven't.
“She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don't have MS,’” Applegate recalled of the moment her doctor delivered the news. “I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”
‘I’m Back at Square One’
The star, who first announced her MS diagnosis in August 2021, has spent years navigating worsening symptoms, including difficulty walking and relying on a wheelchair.
During the podcast, she explained that the change in diagnosis hasn’t improved her physical condition. In fact, she says her symptoms have gotten worse.
She also admitted to feeling a sense of loss after spending years advocating for people with MS and publicly sharing her experience. Without a clear explanation for her symptoms, she’s now facing a new round of medical uncertainty.
The news has also taken an emotional toll. In the second part of the podcast, Applegate described experiencing depression following the revelation and struggling to reconcile the diagnosis change with the physical limitations she continues to face.
Why MS Can Be Difficult to Diagnose
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms can include muscle weakness, numbness, vision changes and difficulty with balance, many of which overlap with other neurological conditions.
In a second episode, Los Angeles neurologist Marwa Kaisey, MD, an associate professor of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, explained that MS misdiagnoses are “fairly common” because “we don't have one single test for MS.”
“It’s not like we have something like a pregnancy test,” she explained. Instead, doctors must rely on a combination of clinical findings and diagnostic criteria to make a diagnosis.
Dr. Kaisey also discussed research suggesting that nearly one in five people referred to certain MS specialty centers with an existing diagnosis were ultimately found to have another condition, underscoring the complexities of diagnosing the disease.
Applegate said her doctors are continuing to investigate what’s been causing her symptoms since 2021. The actress, who has previously spoken openly about her health challenges, is still processing what this latest development means for her future.
For now, the diagnosis may have changed, but the physical struggles that have shaped her life over the past five years remain.
