Everything Christina Applegate Has Revealed About Her Life With MS
Christina Applegate disclosed her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in August 2021 and has openly discussed the impact of the condition on her life since then.
“It’s been an unusual journey,” she shared on X at that time. “However, I have received incredible support from individuals I know who also live with this disease. It’s been challenging. But as we all know, the journey continues. Unless some jerk tries to block it.”
As per the National MS Society, this illness impacts the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms can range from numbness, tingling, pain, and fatigue to difficulties with memory, mood alterations, blindness, and paralysis.
Since her diagnosis, Applegate has shared regular updates about her health. In January 2026, she talked about a recent flare-up and expressed concern that MS might be “taking” her.
Keep scrolling to see everything Applegate has mentioned about her fight with MS:
August 2021
Applegate announced on X that she had been confronted with MS for “a few months”. The Emmy award winner described her experience as “an unusual journey” and “a tough road.”
November 2021
The Hall Pass actress was forthright about her ongoing battles via X.
“Yes, I turned 50 today. And I have MS. It has been a difficult one. Sending so much love to all of you today. Many are suffering today, and I am thinking of you. May we find the strength to lift our heads. Mine is currently resting on my pillow. But I try,” she posted during that period.
December 2021
Applegate shared her fondness for her rowing machine. “I believe it will assist me in getting healthy again. With MS, most exercises can feel daunting due to numbness in my feet and legs. So, sitting and knowing I’m still using my body is fantastic,” she stated.
November 2022
Due to her MS diagnosis, production on Dead to Me season 3 was paused for five months.
“The atmosphere was, ‘Let’s get her some treatment so she can recover,’” Applegate revealed to The New York Times. “But there is no recovery. Still, it was beneficial for me. I needed to come to terms with the loss of my previous life, the loss of that part of me. So, I required that time.”
According to the outlet, Mitch B. Cohn, a sound tech and longtime friend of Applegate, had to remain off-screen holding up her legs during certain scenes in season 3. She also mentioned that her co-star Linda Cardellini helped in advocating for her on set, stepping in when she found it challenging to ask for breaks herself. Applegate explained her motives for doing a NYT interview prior to the third season’s release.
“This is the first time anyone is going to see me as I truly am,” she remarked to the outlet. “I gained 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to understand that I am acutely aware of all of that.”
November 2022
The Friends star told Variety that her role in Netflix’s Dead to Me could be “the last one” she ever undertakes. “Considering my disease, I’m uncertain how capable I am,” she explained.
Applegate, who learned of her MS diagnosis while on set, recalled the symptoms experienced before her diagnosis.
“I didn’t know what was happening to me. That January, my toes started to go numb, and I brushed it off. Soon after, I would stumble as my feet went numb, and I dismissed it. I was unable to walk far on set and needed a wheelchair. I was constantly fatigued, having gained 40 pounds — a lot was happening,” she detailed.
December 2022
During a guest appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Applegate candidly described her MS diagnosis, stating it “sucked balls.”
She added: “I found out on a Monday after work that I had MS, a condition I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
Applegate elaborated on the “very minor symptoms” she recognized before her diagnosis of the neurological disorder.
“I was completely clueless. I couldn’t walk. They were using a wheelchair to transport me to set. I felt panicked. Someone suggested, ‘You need an MRI,’” she recalled.
January 2023
After making her first awards ceremony appearance since the diagnosis at the 2023 Critics’ Choice Awards, Applegate responded to a troll who accused her of being a “scammer” and having “bad” plastic surgery. “MS didn’t make you look that way,” the user commented in a DM, which the actress posted on X.
Applegate responded: “What is wrong with people? By the way, I chuckled.”
March 2023
Christina Applegate criticized Candace Owens following the resurfacing of old footage of the TV personality denouncing Kim Kardashian’s Skims line for featuring a model in a wheelchair. Owens labeled the advertisement—which promoted products for individuals with disabilities—as “ridiculous.”
“Yes, I’m late to this tweet. But I woke up to see the most disturbing thing. This Candace person making comments about companies that recognize our needs. It’s f***ing gross,” Applegate vented on X at the time. “Candace Owens, when you see pictures of me, do you realize how incredibly difficult it is for me to get dressed? A team has to assist me!!! So I’m thrilled about accessible clothing for myself and my community.”
May 2023
Christina Applegate disclosed that there is “never a good day” during her battle with MS.
“There are only unfortunate days. People ask, ‘Why don’t you take more showers?’ Well, because entering the shower is terrifying,” she confided to Vanity Fair. “You might fall, slip, your legs could give out. Especially with my glass shower. It’s anxiety-inducing for me to get in there.”
Applegate mentioned that many things people take for granted have become significantly harder since her diagnosis.
“Navigating stairs, carrying items—those tasks have become impossible. It f—king sucks,” she lamented. “I can still drive short distances and bring food up to my child. Up, but never down.”
In the same interview, Applegate admitted that she’s “probably not going to work on-camera again” because of her condition.
January 2024
During an uncommon public appearance at the Emmy Awards, Applegate humorously mentioned that the audience was “shaming my disability” by giving her a standing ovation. She attended the event to present the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, awarded to The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri.
March 2024
During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, host Jimmy Kimmel joked that he and Applegate share “a very sick sense of humor” after she made light of a funny entrance on the show. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be hilarious if I came out and did a somersault like Willy Wonka?’ And then I was like ‘ta-da,’ you’d be thinking, ‘What a jerk. She is such a liar,’” she humorously expressed. “I’m not. I genuinely am disabled.”
April 2024
“I’m going to be honest; I need to invest in Cottonelle because I haven’t showered in three weeks,” she revealed on her and Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s “MeSsy” podcast, noting that her MS was in the “relapse” phase.
She elaborated, “I cannot stand in my shower. There’s no way. … I have such a small bench, and since my body has changed, I can’t sit on it; I end up slipping right off. … So, I’ve been using Cottonelle to freshen up.”
June 2024
“I don’t enjoy living,” Applegate admitted on an episode of her “MeSsy” podcast. “I don’t take pleasure in things anymore. … If someone suggests, ‘Let’s go for a walk,’ or ‘Let’s grab coffee,’ I respond, ‘I don’t enjoy that process.’”
She later clarified her comments on another podcast episode after fans voiced concern for her well-being. “Oh my god, everyone, I’m fine. Isn’t that what everyone wants to hear?” she said. “I’m fine. Does that alleviate some of your concerns? I’m fine.”
Applegate emphasized that her podcast serves as a “safe space” for her to voice the more challenging aspects of her MS diagnosis. “I believe it is incredibly therapeutic and vital to express these thoughts, regardless of whether they make others uncomfortable,” she explained to her audience.
November 2024
On the “MeSsy” podcast, Applegate shared that she occasionally “lay[s] in bed screaming” due to “sharp pains” from her MS. “I can’t open bottles anymore,” she mentioned, pointing out that she experiences her symptoms “every single day.”
March 2025
Since her MS diagnosis, Applegate noted that she has “been in the hospital over 30 times due to vomiting, diarrhea, and pain.” She explained on the “MeSsy” podcast, “They’ve conducted every test imaginable on me, subjecting my body to immense radiation from CT scans and more.”
Applegate brought up the issue while reacting to a fan’s comment about struggling with vomiting and diarrhea daily following their own MS diagnosis. “Consult your doctor about motility issues, okay?” she advised. “One aspect of MS is that it can slow down our organs, not completely, but there is a noticeable slowing in their function. … I have observed that — and I’ll be completely frank — if I need to poop, I throw up.”
April 2025
“I want to achieve these things, yet I can’t, and it feels like I’m deteriorating,” Applegate remarked during a joint interview with Sigler on Hoda Kotb’s “Making Space” podcast. “And that’s disheartening. But there’s a voice within me saying, ‘You must believe in a miracle. You have to believe in a brighter future.’”
She continued, “That’s my current state of mind, which isn’t very uplifting for anyone. If someone listening to me feels, ‘Oh my God, I resonate with that, and feel like I’m not handling this correctly,’ just know there’s no right way to manage MS.”
Sigler concurred, adding, “No, there isn’t. I just want to emphasize how healthy it is for Christina to express these very raw and genuine feelings.”
August 2025
Applegate discussed how her battle with MS has impacted her daughter, Sadie, whom she shares with husband Martyn LeNoble.
“I notice her watching me when I’m in bed and can’t move well, or when I want to say goodnight to her but can’t quite make it down the hallway due to my legs not cooperating that day,” she recounted during an episode of the “MeSsy” podcast. “Right now, I can barely reach the bathroom; it’s absolutely the worst, but that’s just how it is. It has shattered her.”
Applegate added, “She didn’t grasp this initially. It was akin to losing the mother she once had to this damn condition. As she matures, I believe it’s causing her even more pain.”
January 2026
In another podcast episode, Applegate became emotional while reading a letter from a fan named Steven, who battles myasthenia gravis (MG). The autoimmune condition leads to weakness in specific voluntary muscles. Steven expressed that MG has “taken [his] soul piece by piece, hour by hour,” which resonated deeply with Applegate as she experienced a recent MS flare-up.
“As I read it, I was trying not to become overly emotional with each word, feeling genuinely touched that we’re all sharing this journey,” she said. “Just yesterday, I was walking somewhat okay. … Today, I’m stumbling and falling. I can’t shake the feeling of, is it taking me? Is it stripping me away day by day?”
March 2026
During an episode of the “Wild Card With Rachel Martin” podcast, Christina Applegate revealed that she contemplates death “every day” as she faces her battle with MS.
“But for individuals with a disease like this, you never truly know,” she added. “I already bought my burial plots, okay? I bought them.”
April 2026
Following reports of Christina Applegate’s hospitalization, a representative for the actress commented to Us Weekly: “I cannot confirm whether she is hospitalized or detail her medical treatments. She has a long history of complex medical issues which she has openly discussed, as evident in her memoir and on her podcast.”
Days later, Applegate expressed gratitude towards fans for their support.
“Thank you for the immense love and well-wishes,” she wrote on Instagram. “Health issues are a constant part of my life, but I’m a strong woman, and I’m improving every day. I’m taking some time to prioritize my health, but I’ll return with more updates soon.”
