Christina Applegate says doctors told her she does not have MS, but symptoms remain

Christina Applegate is searching for answers again after her doctor told her that she does not have multiple sclerosis, the actress said on her “MeSsy” podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

The 54-year-old actress had announced her MS diagnosis in 2021, revealing on X that she had been diagnosed a few months earlier. She described the news as a difficult road and later became a prominent public figure associated with the disease, sharing how chronic pain and mobility problems affected her work, mental health and family life.

During Tuesday’s podcast episode, Applegate recounted the moment her doctor gave her the revised diagnosis.

“It’s hard to say that my doctor came into my room, and she said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS,’” she said.

Sigler asked how the moment felt, but Applegate said she was not relieved. She had not recovered, and some aspects of her health had deteriorated.

“I was, like, not happy at all,” Applegate said. “I haven’t gotten better. If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways. So I’m back at square one that I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

Her doctors are now trying to determine what is causing her ongoing health problems and why she was diagnosed with MS in the first place. No alternative diagnosis was announced, and Applegate said her medical team believes something else may be responsible for her symptoms.

She also said misdiagnosis is not unusual, calling it “not a rare occurrence,” though she did not provide a specific figure during the discussion.

The change in diagnosis has not altered Applegate’s physical condition. She still relies on a wheelchair when visiting her doctor’s office because she cannot walk from the car to the examination room. She said the revised diagnosis did not produce an immediate improvement in her pain or mobility.

“Nothing magical happened when she said, ‘You don’t have MS,’” Applegate said. “Nothing magical happened.”

The uncertainty has also left her emotionally unsettled. Applegate said she and Sigler had become “poster children for MS,” and that the diagnosis had given her a reason for the difficult days and the public advocacy that followed. Without that explanation, she said, she felt as though she had let people down.

“It’s this weird feeling of like … I became this person, and everything I was doing, I had a reason,” she said. “And now I don’t have a reason, and it’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me.”

Applegate spoke through tears about the impact her health struggles have had on her life. She said she went through a period of great depression and lost her job.

“I’ve gone through a great depression because of it,” she said. “I lost everything. I lost my job. It stopped my life.”

Her daughter, Sadie, now 15, has also felt the effects of her mother’s illness. Applegate shares the teenager with her husband, Martyn LeNoble. She has said that taking Sadie to school and activities is one of her favorite parts of the day, even when getting there and back is physically exhausting.

In a previous episode of “MeSsy,” Applegate said Sadie did not initially understand what was happening. As her daughter has grown older, Applegate said, she has seen more of the impact.

“Mommy can’t do all the things that she used to be able to do, and I see it in her eyes,” Applegate said.

Applegate has continued to be candid about her limitations, saying that she wants to present an honest picture of life with chronic illness. When she first disclosed her diagnosis, she wrote: “It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going.”

Her latest diagnosis has changed, but her daily reality has not. She remains unable to walk short distances without assistance and is still dealing with chronic pain and mobility issues. The announcement has replaced an established diagnosis with a new medical mystery, while the physical and emotional strain that disrupted her life continues.