Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis

Emmy-nominated actress Christina Applegate announced Tuesday that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease she thought she had for more than five years, putting her “back to square one” as she continues to suffer from debilitating medical problems.

Applegate, who revealed the misdiagnosis on the latest episode of her “MeSsy” podcast, broke down in tears as she recalled a doctor recently telling her: “Congratulations. You don’t have MS.” She said she was “not happy at all” about the news.

“You don’t misdiagnose and all of a sudden I’m better,” Applegate told her podcast co-host, “The Sopranos” actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler. “I haven’t gotten better, Jamie. If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways.

“I’m back to square one, I don’t know what’s happening to me,” said Applegate, who spent months in the hospital earlier this year and recently took a break from co-hosting “MeSsy” with Sigler, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 25 years ago.

Applegate revealed she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, calling her medical ordeal a “rough road.” She received a standing ovation at the 2024 Emmy Awards, appearing on stage with a cane. In an interview that year, she said she was living “a bit in hell.”

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information between the brain and body. The immune system attacks the body’s nerve walls, producing unpredictable symptoms such as pain, fatigue or paralysis.

In the two-part podcast episode released Tuesday, Applegate said the lack of clarity about his health status was “troubling” and “confusing.”

“It’s weird because I feel like I’m letting everyone down,” Applegate told Sigler. “It’s this weird feeling because I became – you and I – the poster children for MS… I had a fucking reason why my day sucked every day.”

She said her medical team would work to determine the underlying cause of her symptoms.

“Why did this happen? I had all the symptoms of someone with MS. Every single one,” Applegate said.

Applegate is best known for her television roles on Fox’s “Married with Children” and Netflix’s “Dead to Me.” She also appeared in both “Anchorman” films as TV news anchor Veronica Corningstone. She has received eight Emmy nominations, winning in 2003 for her appearance on NBC’s “Friends.”