Multiple Sclerosis Leaves Her ‘Screaming’ in Pain

In the three years since Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the actress’ medical condition has steadily progressed. During a recent episode of her podcast MeSsy — co-hosted with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also received a MS diagnosis — she detailed the chronic pain she faces and how it impacts her daily life.

“I lay in bed screaming — like, the sharp pains, the ache, that squeezing,” she explained. “I can’t even pick up my phone sometimes because now it’s traveled into my hands, so I’ll, like, try to go get my phone or get my remote to turn on the TV or sometimes, I can’t even hold them. I can’t open bottles now.”

Applegate referred to multiple sclerosis as being an “invisible disease,” which prompted agreement from their podcast guest Rory Kandel. Kandel is the founder of Rory’s Bakehouse and was diagnosed with MS in 2023. Describing her pain, the owner said: “It feels like I have knives in my stomach. I’ll be laying in bed, and I wake up, and I physically can’t turn from side to side.”

The pain is particularly intense in the morning, the hosts and guest shared. “I put my feet on the ground and they’re hurting, like, extraordinarily bad to the touch,” Applegate said. Spinning the unfortunate truth into a comedic moment, she joked: “I was like, yep. Gonna get back in my bed and pee in my diaper because I don’t feel like walking all the way to the damn bathroom … That’s just a joke. But it’s like it’s so freaking painful and so hard and so awkward.”

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that impacts the nervous system. “It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake,” a description of the condition reads. “MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms. Others may lose their ability to see clearly, write, speak, or walk when communication between the brain and other parts of the body becomes disrupted.”

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with MS, according to a 2019 study by the organization.