Christina Applegate Says She Was Misdiagnosed With MS: 'I'm Back at Square One'

Christina Applegate announced on Tuesday, June 10, that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis — the disease that ended her acting career in 2022. Speaking tearfully on her podcast, "MeSsy," the actor said new technology revealed she never had MS at all.

Applegate returned to the podcast after a seven-month health-related break. She shared the news across a two-part episode.

"This may come as great news, but to me, I'm back at square one," she said. "It's hard to say that [my doctor] came into my room and she said, 'Congratulations, you don't have MS.'"

What does the misdiagnosis change for Applegate?

Not much, and that's the problem. Her symptoms haven't disappeared.

"You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I'm better. I haven't gotten better … If anything, I've gotten worse in some ways," Applegate said. "So I'm back at square one, that I don't know what's going on with me."

She described the diagnosis reversal as a "mindfuck, for sure," and said she remains in a "state of shock." The illness that forced her retirement is now, in her words, a mystery.

"I have every symptom of someone with MS. Every single one," she said. "Now, we both know that there are many things that mirror MS — many different things."

Applegate pointed out that misdiagnosis isn't rare. "There's a pretty damn high number of misdiagnoses with MS," she said. "It's clear now that they're finding something different. Something else is going on."

How MS reshaped her life and career

Applegate first announced her MS diagnosis in 2021. She retired from acting after the finale of "Dead to Me," her hit Netflix series, aired the following year.

MS (multiple sclerosis) is a disease that damages the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord — disrupting signals between the body and brain. Since her diagnosis, Applegate became a prominent advocate for people living with the disease.

She launched "MeSsy" with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who played Meadow Soprano on "The Sopranos" and also lives with MS. The podcast became a platform for both actors to share their experiences and raise awareness.

That advocacy role, Applegate said, makes the reversal harder to process.

"It's weird because I feel like I let everybody down," she said, referring to the MS community she came to represent.

"It's this weird feeling because I became this — you and I, the poster children for MS," she told Sigler. "I had a reason. I had a fucking reason as to why my day sucked every day. And now I don't have a reason and it's very unnerving and it's really confusing for me."

The cost of five lost years

In the episode's second part, Applegate reflected on the past five years since her diagnosis. She broke down in tears describing what the illness took from her.

"I'm still here feeling quite hollow and quite scared and sad. Now, I just feel lost," she said.

"I've gone through a great depression because of it. But, you know, I lost everything. I lost my job," Applegate continued. "I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor's office. I can't walk from the car to the room. I mean, I'm still in this. Nothing magical happened when she said, 'You don't have MS.' Nothing magical happened."

Her mobility limitations remain unchanged. Her career remains on hold. And the diagnostic process — the search for whatever is actually causing her symptoms — starts over from the beginning.

What comes next

Applegate said doctors are now investigating what else could explain her symptoms. No alternative diagnosis has been announced yet. Her podcast, which she co-hosts with Sigler, continues to serve as her public record of living with an unresolved illness — one that now carries no name at all.