Christina Applegate 'Trapped in Darkness' Amid 'Real Depression' Caused by MS Diagnosis
The actress was diagnosed in 2021.
Christina Applegate says living with multiple sclerosis has taken a mental toll. The actress revealed that she's been dealing with "real depression" since her 2021 diagnosis. "I'm in a depression right now, which I don't think I've felt that for years," she said while appearing on her podcast, MeSsy, which she co-hosts with her close friend, Jamie-Lynn Sigler. "Like a real, f— it all depression where it's kind of scaring me to a little bit because it feels really fatalistic. I'm trapped in like this darkness right now that I haven't felt like... I don't even know how long, probably 20 something years,"
The episode was taped several months ago, after she appeared at the Emmy Awards in January 2024. Receiving a standing ovation, she says the night was "the hardest day of my life," saying that she slept for "two days" afterward from the physical toll of the night.
According to Johns Hopkins, Multiple sclerosis (MS) is "a long-lasting (chronic) disease of the central nervous system. It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, a condition in which the body attacks itself by mistake. MS is an unpredictable disease that affects people differently. Some people with MS may have only mild symptoms." Many people affected by it suffer from a wife range of physical ailments.
It's not the first time she's spoken out since. She recently did a cover story, sharing with PEOPLE in March 2024 alongside Sigler, where they discussed how their friendship has been helpful to Applegate during this time. Applegate is "incredibly strong," Sigler says, adding: "I'm hoping that this podcast will also show you even more of your value and show you how incredibly strong you are and how much you deserve to give yourself a chance."
Sigler urged her to allow herself to be vulnerable: "I feel like you owe it to yourself to cry and really, really go there....You gotta just, you gotta allow yourself to feel that stuff. You can't keep pushing it away, otherwise you're gonna be where you're at right now. You're like in a purgatory, you know?"
