The Aporia · Christina Applegate says her doctor told her she was misdiagnosed with MS

Christina Applegate says her doctor told her she was misdiagnosed with MS

Read the original at The Independent ↗

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Kennedy, M. (2026, October 20). Christina Applegate says her doctor told her she was misdiagnosed with MS. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/christina-applegate-jamielynn-sigler-new-york-california-emmy-b3070123.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Quick Summary

Christina Applegate announced on her podcast "MeSsy" that she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) years ago and does not actually have the condition, despite experiencing all symptoms of MS. She first revealed her diagnosis in 2021 but now faces uncertainty as to what is causing her health issues. This revelation comes as Applegate and co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, both public figures with a history of advocating for MS awareness, grapple with the implications of such misdiagnoses on their advocacy efforts.

Written by AI on 2026-10-20, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Emmy-nominated actress Christina Applegate announced on October 20, 2026, that she had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) since 2021. In an episode of her podcast "MeSsy," co-hosted by Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate broke down in tears as she recounted the moment a doctor told her she did not have MS. Despite being symptom-free according to doctors, Applegate still experiences debilitating symptoms and uses wheelchairs when visiting medical facilities due to mobility issues. The misdiagnosis leaves her at "square one," unsure of what is causing her health problems. Dr. Elena Grebenciucova from Northwestern Medicine noted that up to 1 in 5 patients diagnosed with MS may not actually have the condition but rather a different disorder, highlighting the challenges in diagnosing such complex neurological conditions accurately.

Written for “Christina Applegate MS Diagnosis” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

59/100

The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3736 article(s) · 10 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 10 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Mark Kennedy

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 8 articles by Mark Kennedy →

Topics

California Independent Independent Membership

Subjects

Applegate PERSON · 4× California GPE · 1× Christina Applegate PERSON · 1× Independent ORG · 1× Independent Membership ORG · 1× Jamie-Lynn Sigler PERSON · 1× Sigler PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Christina Applegate, who has candidly shared raw details about her journey with multiple sclerosis for years, revealed Monday her doctor says she doesn't have the autoimmune disease and was misdiagnosed. “I’m back at square one where I don’t know what’s going on with me,” the actor said on the latest edition of her podcast “MeSsy,” along with co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who has been public about her own battle with MS.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-20

2026-10-20 · The Independent

Christina Applegate says her doctor told her she was misdiagnosed with MS · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)

who → share → MS

Applegate first publicly announced in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with the disorder that causes the immune system to attack the cells in the central nervous system. asserted

system → announce → system

On Monday's podcast, Applegate revealed that despite the misdiagnosis, she still has “every symptom of someone with MS,” adding, “I still have to use wheelchairs when I go to the doctor’s office. asserted

I → reveal → office

I can’t walk from the car to the room.” asserted

I → walk → room

There is no single test for MS, and a diagnosis usually involves ruling out other causes. asserted

diagnosis → be → causes

It can take years and seeing multiple doctors before one puts the clues together. asserted

one → take → clues

Applegate said the news had put her in an odd place since she and Sigler have become prominent advocates for people with MS. asserted

she → say → MS

"It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down,” she said. asserted

she → ’ → everybody

“It’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me.” asserted

it → ’ → me

Most autoimmune diseases, especially in adults, aren’t caused by a specific gene defect. asserted

diseases → cause → defect

Instead, a variety of genes that affect immune functions can make people susceptible. asserted

people → affect → functions

Scientists say it then takes an “environmental” trigger, such as an infection, smoking or pollutants, to set the disease in motion. asserted

it → say → motion

On the podcast and earlier this year while promoting her memoir, "You with the Sad Eyes,” the Emmy-winning Applegate has been candid about unpredictable symptoms that have forced her to use diapers and scoot down stairs on her butt. asserted

that → promote → butt

“My life has in some ways shrunk to the size of my California king,” she writes in her book. asserted

she → shrink → book

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