Christina Applegate Says She Does Not Have MS, and Megyn Kelly's Comments Spark a Backlash

Christina Applegate has learned she does not have multiple sclerosis, and the news has set off a public row involving commentator Megyn Kelly and the hosts of ABC's The View.

Applegate, 54, first said in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with MS, a condition in which the immune system attacks the protective coating of nerves. She stepped away from acting after the finale of the series Dead to Me in 2022. She later co-founded the "MeSsy" podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, a fellow actor, to talk about living with the disease and to raise awareness.

After a seven-month break, Applegate returned to the podcast on Oct. 21. Variety reports that she said newer technology had led to the discovery that she had been misdiagnosed. People reports that she learned the news from her doctor during a visit, after a hospitalisation. Applegate told listeners, "This may come as great news, but to me, I'm back at square one," adding that she has not got better and in some ways has got worse.

Kelly responded on her own programme, and the reaction drew criticism. According to Variety, Kelly called Applegate's health story a "wild goose chase" and said the trouble with celebrities was "wanting to lean into their health problems." She also said Applegate must be "crying now because I guess she no longer gets to be the face of this disease." USA Today reported that Kelly faced backlash for the remarks.

The View's hosts took the topic up on air. Whoopi Goldberg asked Kelly whether she thought Applegate wanted to have MS "so she could have a good time." Sara Haines asked, "Who wants to be the face of MS?" and called Kelly a "bully." Ana Navarro said Kelly was "like a fungus that thrives on oxygen that she gets by purposely creating outrage." Sunny Hostin called Kelly "an ugly person," according to Variety.

The View airs weekdays on ABC, and full episodes are available to stream on Hulu.

For many viewers, the story sits at the point where a private medical journey became a public one. Applegate chose to share her diagnosis, then her reversal, with a podcast audience. Kelly's remarks then pulled the conversation into a wider argument about how public figures talk about illness.