Christina Applegate Addresses Health Concerns Amid MS Battle

by

Christina Applegate is fighting for her health.

The Dead to Me actress spoke out amid reports she was recently hospitalized in Los Angeles.

She expressed gratitude for all the support and kind messages she’s received. While she regularly deals with health challenges, she’s feeling strong and is improving daily. She’s currently prioritizing her well-being and plans to share more updates in the future.

Actress Christina Applegate, who announced her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021, revealed in her memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, published in March, that her MS symptoms have sometimes required emergency room visits.

She explained that when she wakes up, she often struggles to move her arm enough to reach for a glass of water or her phone. She described the extreme exhaustion as feeling like she hadn’t slept for three days, as reported by Today.

Christina Applegate, 54, shared that past trauma from her childhood makes her multiple sclerosis (MS) worse. MS is a condition that impacts the immune system, and when she remembers difficult experiences from her youth, it causes physical symptoms.

It’s awful, honestly. It starts with this feeling like my body is rejecting everything, like it’s trying to silence the chaos inside me, and then… I’m throwing up. It always ends the same way – back in the hospital. I just desperately want it to stop, this constant torment, but it just… won’t. It just keeps going and going, and I feel so helpless.

In February, the Emmy winner revealed that the condition had left her bedridden.

She told People magazine that her life wasn’t perfect. She explained that everyone goes through difficult times, and she was simply trying to be as honest and real as possible about her own experiences.

Even though Applegate was facing health issues, she still made an effort to maintain some normalcy for her 15-year-old daughter, Sadie, whom she shares with her husband, Martyn LeNoble, by driving her to school.

She explained that taking her somewhere special was her most cherished activity, as it was their only private time together. Her main focus during these outings was simply getting them both there and back safely, so they could relax at home. That’s all she aimed for, and that’s what she did.

Applegate also admitted she worries about not being around for her daughter indefinitely. She confessed that thinking about death makes her uneasy, specifically because of the effect it would have on Sadie.

She expressed worry on NPR’s Wild Card in March, saying, “I’m afraid my child will be hurt.”

The actress from Bad Moms has been thinking a lot about her own mortality and preparing for the future, even going so far as to buy a burial plot.

During a recent appearance, Applegate explained that living with a serious illness makes the future uncertain. She emphasized that she’s already secured her burial plots, stating, ‘I bought them,’ to ensure those arrangements are taken care of.

For more of what Applegate has shared about her MS battle, read on.

Christina Applegate shared she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021.

I wanted to share that I was diagnosed with MS a few months ago,” she posted on social media last August. “It’s been a really unusual experience, but I’ve felt so much support from others who understand what it’s like. It hasn’t been easy, but life goes on – unless someone gets in the way!

During her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in November 2022 – her first public event since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis – she playfully announced, ‘Oh, and by the way, I have a disease.’ She then gestured to her bare feet, adding, ‘Did you not notice? I’m not even wearing shoes.’

Christina believes her MS journey actually began “six or seven years” before her 2021 diagnosis.

During a March 2024 interview on Good Morning America, Christina explained that while filming the first season of Dead to Me, her leg would sometimes give way. At first, she dismissed it as simple exhaustion, dehydration, or the weather. She didn’t think much of it, and the issue would disappear for months at a time.

The actress revealed that by the time they were filming the last season of the Netflix series, she needed a wheelchair to get to set.

“I couldn’t move that far,” she recalled, “so I had to tell everybody because I needed help.”

As someone who’s always loved a beautiful accessory, I’ve had to embrace a new one lately. With my MS journey, walking sticks have become a real part of my everyday life – they’re just my ‘new normal,’ as I shared in a recent post. It’s all about finding ways to adapt and still feel confident and stylish, right?

At the 2023 SAG Awards, Christina delivered a defiant message to multiple sclerosis, simply saying “F U MS,” accompanied by her daughter, Sadie Grace LeNoble.

Christina shared that her daughter, Sadie, had a hard time processing her illness. Speaking with Jamie-Lynn Sigler on their podcast, MeSsy, in August 2025, Christina explained that Sadie had only known her as a healthy, active person – a runner, Peloton enthusiast, and dancer. When Christina became ill in 2021, Sadie reacted with remarkable stoicism.

Christina explained that she often sees her mother looking at her while she’s in bed, and feels strangely unable to move or respond. She also described wanting to say goodnight, but feeling like her legs won’t cooperate, preventing her from walking down the hallway.

Christina believes the entire ordeal has deeply affected her teenage daughter. She explained it felt like her daughter lost the mother she knew, replaced by this difficult situation. As her daughter has gotten older, Christina thinks the pain has only intensified.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe what happened at the Emmys! Ed O’Neill, like, the actual Al Bundy, got a standing ovation, which he totally deserved, obviously. But then, get this, he was SO funny and self-deprecating! He said, and I quote, ‘You’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up!’ I nearly died! It was the most perfect, hilarious thing ever. He’s just the best, seriously!

Christina explained on the March 2024 episode of Armchair Expert that making jokes is how she copes with her health condition. She said if she didn’t use humor, she wouldn’t be able to handle it – it’s a vital outlet for her.

So, yes, she’s going to talk about the fact that she’s already purchased burial plots. 

On a March 2026 episode of NPR’s Wild Card, Christina shared that she and a friend were planning a picnic. She described the location as ‘really pretty’ and explained she just needed to find a shady tree, saying, ‘I want my visitors to not be sweating.’

I recently shared on the Armchair Expert podcast that I’m dealing with some health challenges – I’ve been diagnosed with 30 brain lesions. The largest one is located right behind my right eye, which unfortunately causes me a lot of pain in that eye.

Multiple sclerosis happens when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the protective covering of nerve fibers, as explained by the Multiple Sclerosis Trust.

Christina hasn’t held back when it comes to sharing her journey. 

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show, actress Christina Applegate candidly discussed her daily challenges with multiple sclerosis (MS). She admitted it’s been incredibly difficult, saying, ‘It’s not something anyone would ever want,’ and acknowledging that MS is a tough condition to live with.

She also used this approach when she spoke about her 2008 breast cancer experience. On the Armchair Expert podcast, she recalled presenting a positive face, saying things like, ‘I love my new breasts,’ even though they were scarred and damaged. Looking back, she admitted, ‘Everything I was saying was a lie.’ She realized she was trying to convince herself everything was okay, and she doesn’t think that helped anyone.

She launched a foundation and successfully raised millions to help women at high risk get important medical screenings. However, she later realized she should have been honest about the personal toll it took on her, admitting she often felt overwhelmed and struggled emotionally behind the scenes.

In a March 2024 interview with Good Morning America, Christina described living with the disease as being “like living in hell.”

She hopes to feel more capable soon. Currently, she’s coping by staying home and avoiding activities because she’s finding things difficult.

Christina Applegate said her Sweetest Thing co-star, Selma Blair, who received an MS diagnosis in 2018, encouraged her to get tested for the condition.

During an interview with GMA, Christina remembered someone telling her, ‘You should get tested for multiple sclerosis.’ She added that if it hadn’t been for that advice, her condition could have become much more serious.

Christina Applegate has indicated that her role in Dead to Me will probably be the last time she appears on screen. In an interview with Vanity Fair in May 2023, she explained she doesn’t foresee herself returning to a film or television set anytime soon.

I likely won’t be doing on-camera work anymore, but I’m really happy I had the chance to work with Linda Cardellini, who I believe is the most talented actress I’ve ever collaborated with—and maybe even the most wonderful person I’ve ever met.

Read More

2026-04-20 19:51