Christina Applegate Says She Feels Like a ‘Fraud’ After MS Misdiagnosis as Symptoms Persist

For years, Christina Applegate had a name for the symptoms that made it difficult to walk and, on some mornings, get out of bed. Then her doctor told her she had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. On the November 3 episode of MeSsy, the Dead to Me star described what it's like to lose an explanation she had lived with since 2021 while still dealing with the symptoms that sent her looking for answers in the first place.

The admission came during a conversation with Jack Osbourne, who was diagnosed with MS at 26. Osbourne said he sometimes felt like a fraud at MS events because others living with the condition had a harder time than he did. Applegate recognized the feeling for a different reason. "Talk about being a fraud," she told him. "I don't even have it anymore."

Applegate first revealed the misdiagnosis on MeSsy in October. By then, speaking publicly about MS had become part of her life. She had built friendships in the MS community and co-hosted the podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has lived with the condition for more than two decades. When Applegate spoke about how hard it was to let go of that part of her identity, Sigler and Osbourne reassured her that she still had a place in the community.

The search for answers has begun again. Applegate said she still uses a wheelchair to get from her car to medical appointments. She told Osbourne she's undergoing tests for several possible causes, including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Lyme disease. She has yet to share a new diagnosis.

When Applegate first shared the news in October, she worried that she had let people with MS down. Weeks later, she told listeners she remains committed to the community and the friends she made there. She's still looking for a name for what she lives with every day.