Christina Applegate has shared a stunning health revelation: she doesn't have multiple sclerosis after all. The Dead to Me star, 54, revealed on the latest episode of her MeSsy podcast on Tuesday, October 20, that doctors recently determined she was misdiagnosed five years ago, according to USA Today.
Applegate, who first announced her MS diagnosis in August 2021, said her doctor told her, "Congratulations, you don't have MS." But rather than relief, the news left her devastated. "I was, like, not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy," she said, via People, on the podcast she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler. "You don't get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I'm better. I haven't gotten better, Jamie! If anything, I've gotten worse."
Her debilitating symptoms — including numbness, mobility issues and balance loss — remain severe and unexplained. She told listeners she uses a wheelchair for longer distances and attends physical therapy three times a week. Her medical team began a deeper investigation after observing unexpected responses when attempting to alter her treatment regimen, and the new findings have sent her back to square one.
"So I'm back at square one where I don't know what's going on with me," she said, adding that she felt like she had let down the MS community she had become an outspoken advocate for. Tyla reports that nearly one in five patients with an established MS diagnosis are misdiagnosed, according to a 2019 Cedars-Sinai study. Applegate said doctors will continue investigating what has been affecting her health since 2021.
The revelation has reignited conversations about how difficult complex neurological conditions are to diagnose. Applegate explained that her doctors launched the deeper investigation after her treatment responses didn't match expectations — a process she described as emotionally grueling but necessary.
Despite the misdiagnosis, Applegate emphasized her symptoms are real and ongoing. She continues to use a wheelchair for longer distances and undergoes physical therapy three times a week. Her candor about feeling like she let the MS community down has drawn an outpouring of support from fans and fellow advocates alike.
Photo: Gage Skidmore (CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)