Christina Applegate’s Health: Her Battle With MS & How She’s Feeling Now
Christina Applegate has been an inspiration amidst her battle with multiple sclerosis. Here’s what you need to know about the award-winning star’s condition.
Christina Applegate is so beloved in Hollywood, both by her peers and her fans. Sadly, the Emmy Award winner has had to step away from acting because of her battle with multiple sclerosis. However, she presented at the 2023 Primetime Emmys and cracked a few jokes in typical Christina fashion, garnering countless laughs from the audience. More recently, she opened up about her symptoms with MS during a podcast interview in March 2024.
Christina broke the news about her MS diagnosis to the world in 2021, but she still managed to film the final season of her hit Netflix show, Dead to Me. Since her diagnosis, Christina has made just a few public appearances, and she’s hinted that she’s not going to act anymore because of her condition. Not only that, but she’s also spoken out about managing the disease.
While battling such a brutal disease, Christina has showed so much strength and bravery. The Married…with Children star has inspired so many people who cherish the actress now more than ever. Here’s everything you need to know about her health condition, how she’s doing today, and more.
Christina Applegate Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis.
Hi friends. A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some asshole blocks it.
— christina applegate (@1capplegate) August 10, 2021
Christina revealed that she has MS on August 10, 2021. “A few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey,” Christina tweeted. “But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a**hole blocks it. As one of my friends with MS said, ‘We wake up and take the indicated action.’ And that’s what I do. So now I ask for privacy. As I go through this thing. Thank you xo,” she added.
What Is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord, where the immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers, according to the Mayo Clinic. MS causes difficulty in walking, tingling, partial or complete loss of vision, fatigue, slurred speech, and cognitive problems. There is no cure yet for MS. Treatments include medicines, equipment like braces or canes, and rehabilitation activities, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Another celebrity who has MS is Christina’s The Sweetest Thing co-star Selma Blair. Selma, who has been battling MS since 2018, has been supporting Christina ever since the latter actress learned she has the autoimmune disease.
How Long Has Christina Been Sick?
Christina’s diagnosis resulted in a five-month production pause on Dead to Me season 3. After the news of Christina’s sickness broke, Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter they would be respecting Christina’s wishes of privacy and that show would be put on hold. “We love and support Christina and respect her privacy as she takes the time and space she needs in this moment,” the streamer said.
Christina elaborated more on her MS diagnosis for the first time in an interview with The New York Times in November 2022. The actress revealed that she gained 40 pounds and can’t walk without a cane because of her condition. Christina also admitted that she’s “never going to accept” that she has MS and said she’s “pissed” about it.
Christina, who filmed most of Dead to Me season 3 after her diagnosis, confirmed in the NYT interview that there were subtle signs of MS such as balance issues while she was filming the first season of the show, but she brushed the issues off and thought nothing of it. “I wish I had paid attention. But who was I to know?” she said.
How Is Christina Doing Today?
Christina uses a cane to walk around because of her condition. She made her first public appearance after her diagnosis at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on November 14, 2022. Christina held back tears during her speech, where she thanked her daughter Sadie and even cracked a joke about having MS. “Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Did you not notice? I’m not even wearing shoes,” Christina said. Her Dead to Me co-star Linda Cardellini gave a speech dedicated to Christina at the Walk of Fame ceremony.
Christina Applegate thanks her daughter for her support as she receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: "Thank you for standing beside me for all of this. Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Did you not notice? I'm not even wearing shoes!" https://t.co/YpWGxW0eDu pic.twitter.com/EZSJBGeMHm
— Variety (@Variety) November 14, 2022
Christina appeared at her first award show after her diagnosis at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 26, 2023. She attended the event with her daughter and used a cane to walk down the red carpet. Christina was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Jen Harding in Dead to Me. It’s likely that the 2023 SAGs were the final award show that Christina ever attended as an actor. That’s because she’s hinted that Dead To Me was her final acting role because of her condition.
“Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set. I don’t have that in me at this moment,” she told Los Angeles Times in February 2023. However, Christina said she wants to keep working in Hollywood by producing, developing, and “doing a s*** ton of voiceovers to make some cash to make sure that my daughter’s fed and we’re homed.”
In January 2024, Christina presented two awards at the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards, and she got a standing ovation the moment she approached the stage. Two months later, she opened up to PEOPLE about how she lives with her condition. In the candid interview, Christina revealed that she has to wear diapers.
“Well, you pee … in your pants. Because you probably can’t get to the bathroom in time,” she said. “So, yeah, diapers.”
In March 2024, the actress shared details about her symptoms while appearing on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. Most notably, she opened up about having 30 lesions on her brain, and she said that she felt pain in her right eye from it. Later, she spoke about how battling the condition “sucks” amid the symptoms. “I hate it so much. I’m so mad about it. You can’t overcome it,” she said.