Christina Applegate’s Daughter Speaks out on Mom’s MS Diagnosis

Christina Applegate’s 13-year-old daughter Sadie gave her perspective on Applegate’s diagnosis with multiple sclerosis on Thursday’s new episode of the MeSsy podcast. Applegate co-hosts the podcast with fellow actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and last week they invited Sadie on as a guest. Sadie admitted that some things have become “really hard” for her since the diagnosis, but pointed out some moments of levity that shine through.

“Every night, I remember, when I was a kid, we would dance and everything in her room for hours at a time,” Sadie said. “It was hard seeing my mom lose a lot of the abilities she used to have in my childhood… It’s just really difficult seeing her go through this.” Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021. The Dead to Me star had already survived breast cancer with a double mastectomy, and she has since stepped back from on-camera work in general.

Sadie said on the podcast that it has been “nice” to find ways to support her mother through her MS journey, and joked that she would prefer to steer her wheelchair more often when she needs to use it. She also said that her own health issues have helped her relate to Applegate, noting that she was recently diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS. She said: “I feel like if I didn’t have this thing [POTS] it would be a lot harder to understand what my mom’s going through.”

As for Applegate, she elaborated on how MS has affected her view of motherhood. She told Sadie: “I don’t ever want you to feel that I’m not capable to be your protector, your mother. I love you, I want to make you food, I want to bring it you, I want to do all the things. And I do, when I can, and I feel incredibly guilty when I can’t. But you’re always pretty darn cool about it kid.”

Applegate and Sigler launched MeSsy back in March, and have 16 episodes at the time of this writing with several celebrity guests, but this is the first time one of their family members has headlined an episode. Both actresses have multiple sclerosis, and they discuss the process of living with the disease from its grand triumphs to its day-to-day mundanities. The show is available now on most major podcast streaming apps.