Health · Published October 20, 2026 at 7:11 PM CDT · Updated October 21, 2026 at 7:17 PM CDT
Christina Applegate Says She Was Misdiagnosed With MS
What's new
New reporting adds detail that Applegate called the news 'unnerving' and 'confusing,' that she still shows MS-like symptoms, and that experts say misdiagnosis is common, with one doctor estimating up to 1 in 5 MS diagnoses may be incorrect.
This story is developing. The page was updated October 21, 2026 at 7:17 PM CDT as new reports came in.
What everyone agrees on
- Christina Applegate said she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021.
- Applegate said doctors recently told her she does not have MS after all.
- Applegate described feeling 'back at square one.'
- Applegate has been a public advocate for MS research and awareness.
Each fact above was reported by outlets on the left, center and right.
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets · 7
Left-leaning outlets emphasized Applegate's advocacy history, her ongoing symptoms despite the reversed diagnosis, and included expert discussion of how misdiagnosis can happen and how many people live with rare or undiagnosed illnesses.
Center-leaning outlets · 4
Center-leaning outlets focused on how common MS misdiagnosis can be and described the diagnosis reversal after five years.
Right-leaning outlets · 1
Right-leaning coverage highlighted a doctor's statistics on how often MS diagnoses are incorrect and focused on Applegate's next steps in finding the cause of her symptoms.
Read the original reporting
- Left CBS News Christina Applegate says new technology revealed her MS misdiagnosis Free to read
- Left CNN Christina Applegate, a leading MS advocate, says doctors found she doesn’t have the disease after all A few free articles a month
- Left HuffPost Christina Applegate Reveals Shock Health Update After MS Diagnosis: ‘I'm Back At Square One' Free to read
- Left NBC News Christina Applegate Says She Was Misdiagnosed With MS Free to read
- Left NPR Actor Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis Free to read
- Left PBS NewsHour Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed and does not have MS Free to read
- Left Vox What Christina Applegate’s misdiagnosis reveals about MS Free to read
- Center BBC News Christina Applegate says she was wrongly diagnosed with MS Free to read
- Center Deseret News Christina Applegate’s MS diagnosis shaped 5 years of her life. Now it’s been reversed Free to read
- Center Straight Arrow News Actress Christina Applegate says she was misdiagnosed with MS — and that’s pretty common Free to read
- Center UPI Christina Applegate 'back at square one' after MS misdiagnosis Free to read
- Right New York Post Christina Applegate’s next steps toward finding cause of worsening health issues revealed after incorrect MS diagnosis Free to read
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This page was written by AI from each outlet's headline and short description, following our published rules. Always check the original reporting.