Get the app that makes your AARP membership truly mobile!

Content starts here

Christina Applegate, 54, Reveals She Was Misdiagnosed With MS

After years of treatment, the actor says doctors have ruled out multiple sclerosis. But her debilitating symptoms persist, leaving her searching for answers

3-minute read

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

Published October 20, 2026

Christina Applegate, seen here in 2023, revealed on her podcast that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “I’m back at square one, and I don’t know what’s going on with me,” she said.

Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Key takeaways

Christina Applegate says her symptoms began with numbness in her toes in 2021, followed by leg numbness and pain.
She received infusions for years before doctors took another look at her diagnosis and told her she didn’t have MS.
No single symptom or lab test can establish an MS diagnosis, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Christina Applegate says doctors have told her she does not have multiple sclerosis, five years after she was diagnosed with it. But the pain, exhaustion and trouble walking haven’t gone away, and she still doesn’t know what’s causing her symptoms.

In the Oct. 20 episode of MeSsy, the podcast she hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler and just returned to after an absence, Applegate, 54, recalled her doctor’s words: “Congratulations. You don’t have MS. Congratulations.”

More Ways to Benefit

View All

Related Benefit 1
Related Benefit 2
Related Benefit 3
Related Benefit 4
Related Benefit 5

For Applegate, that meant starting over.

“If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways,” she said. “And so I’m back at square one, and I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

How her diagnosis changed

Applegate said her symptoms began in January 2021 with numbness in her toes. It spread through her legs, and then the pain started. Doctors performed nerve testing, brain and spinal MRIs and a spinal tap before diagnosing her with MS.

She had infusion treatments for years. She also turned to others living with the disease and began talking about her experiences on the podcast.

“I felt safe because I had a place to talk, which was here,” she said.

According to Applegate, a doctor later stopped her infusions to monitor her B cells, a type of immune cell. She said newer technology also helped doctors reexamine her brain scans, eventually leading them to conclude she did not have MS.

She did not name another diagnosis. And daily tasks remain difficult for the actor, who is best known for the sitcom Married... With Children and the Netflix drama series Dead to Me.

“I can’t do anything with my hands,” she said.

As she prepares for more appointments and tests, she’s trying to make sense of what doctors have told her.

“It’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me,” she said.

What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. That attack damages myelin, the protective covering around nerve fibers, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Symptoms can include fatigue, numbness or tingling, pain, difficulty walking, muscle stiffness, vision problems and changes in bladder or bowel function. Some people also experience problems with memory and thinking.

But having those symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have MS. According to the society, doctors can’t diagnose it from any one symptom, exam finding or lab test. They also need to check whether something else could be causing the problems.

For readers facing an uncertain diagnosis, AARP’s guide to avoiding diagnostic errors explains how to prepare for a second opinion, including bringing previous test results to the new doctor and treatment recommendations.

The search for answers starts again

Applegate said she would start working with doctors to figure out what’s wrong. For now, it hurts to get out of bed or stand up, and she’s sleeping much of the time.

Finding the right specialists presents another challenge.

“I don’t know how many, you know, specialists I’m going to have to find for something I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” she said.

She also invited listeners who have experienced a misdiagnosis to share what happened next, particularly if they continued to feel sick.

“As I go through my searching process,” she said, “I want to know what you have to say.”

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.

AARP Membership

Join AARP for only $15 per year with automatic renewal. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of benefits, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.

Join