Christina Applegate Says She Was Misdiagnosed With MS After Believing She Had It Since 2021

3.0 · 11d ago · US

The Facts

  • Christina Applegate announced on her podcast 'MeSsy' that she had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. ✓3 · NBC News, CBS News, SCMP
  • Applegate, 54, said she had believed she had MS for more than five years; NBC reports she disclosed the diagnosis in 2021, and SCMP also reports she first announced it publicly in 2021. ✓3 · NBC News, CBS News, SCMP
  • Applegate said her doctor told her she does not have MS. ✓3 · SCMP, NBC News, CBS News
  • Applegate said her symptoms have not improved and in some ways have worsened, and that she is 'back at square one' without an explanation for them. ✓3 · NBC News, CBS News, SCMP
  • Applegate co-hosts 'MeSsy' with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has been public about her own MS and was diagnosed roughly 25 years ago. ✓3 · NBC News, CBS News, SCMP
Dive deeper · 13 more factsShow less
  • Applegate said her medical team will work to determine the underlying cause of her symptoms; she said the investigation begins next week. ✓2 · NBC News, CBS News
  • NBC News describes Applegate as saying the news was 'unnerving' and 'confusing'; she has been an outspoken advocate for MS research. NBC News only
  • Applegate said she still has 'every symptom of someone with MS' and still uses wheelchairs when going to the doctor's office, saying she cannot walk from the car to the room. SCMP only
  • Applegate said her doctor took her off an infusion treatment to see how her B cells reacted; the cell count did not change, which began a review of her diagnosis, and the doctor eventually told her she never had MS. CBS News only
  • Applegate said that at her initial diagnosis she underwent tests including a spinal tap and MRIs, and scans showed lesions on her brain. CBS News only
  • Applegate said she has physical therapy three times a week and continues to have symptoms affecting daily life and mobility. CBS News only
  • Applegate spent months in the hospital this year and recently took a break from co-hosting the podcast. NBC News only
  • Dr. Marwa Kaisey of Cedars-Sinai said almost 1 in 5 people told they have MS did not actually have it, and called misdiagnosis 'fairly common' because there is no single test. CBS News only
  • Dr. Robert Brumel of Cleveland Clinic said the largest studies show 15% to 20% of patients diagnosed with MS are found not to have it. CBS News only
  • Brumel said misdiagnosis most often stems from misinterpreted brain scan abnormalities; lesions can also be caused by high blood pressure, smoking or migraines. CBS News only
  • New MS diagnostic criteria developed by an international panel were published in 2025 and are more specific, particularly on interpreting brain lesions. CBS News only
  • CBS News cites an estimate that 25 million Americans live with a rare or undiagnosed illness. CBS News only
  • NBC's TODAY segment on Oct. 21, 2026 featured Dr. Natalie Azar discussing causes and prevalence of misdiagnosis. NBC News only

Context

Actor Christina Applegate said on her podcast 'MeSsy' that her doctor told her she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a condition she had believed she had for more than five years after disclosing it in 2021.

She said her symptoms persist and that her medical team will begin investigating their cause next week. Physicians cited by CBS News said MS misdiagnosis occurs in an estimated 15% to 20% of diagnosed patients.

How the Agent Panel Scored This

Independent AI personas each scored importance 1–10; the story's score is a trimmed mean (highest and lowest votes dropped). Vote spread: 0.

3 Critical Reader This is a celebrity's personal medical disclosure on a podcast with no new public-health action, policy, or verified institutional outcome, though the misdiagnosis statistics add some general interest.
3 Business Analyst This is a celebrity's personal health disclosure on a podcast, with no new policy, market, or broad public-impact action; its wider relevance to misdiagnosis awareness is limited.
3 Science & Tech Analyst This is a celebrity's personal health update on a podcast, reporting a misdiagnosis with no new scientific breakthrough or policy action, though it raises general awareness of MS diagnostic error rates.
3 Policy Expert This is a celebrity's podcast disclosure of a personal medical misdiagnosis with no new government action, policy, or broad public impact, though the medical-diagnostics angle gives it some general interest.
3 Global Affairs Analyst This is a celebrity personal health disclosure about a misdiagnosis with limited broader policy or societal impact, though it raises general awareness of MS diagnostic accuracy.
3 Informed Citizen This is a celebrity's personal health update with limited broad impact, though the medical misdiagnosis angle gives it some public-health relevance for ordinary people with MS or similar diagnoses.
3 News Editor This is a celebrity's personal medical disclosure on a podcast, with the concrete news being a revised diagnosis for one individual, which is of limited broad impact despite public interest and the general health relevance of misdiagnosis rates.

Sources (8)

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