Overview
- Applegate announced on her MeSsy podcast that doctors using newer tests told her this week that the 2021 diagnosis of multiple sclerosis was incorrect.
- The medical reversal has not eased her condition: she still uses a wheelchair, cannot walk from her car to a doctor’s office, and reports no improvement in symptoms.
- Her original 2021 workup involved brain and spine MRIs and a lumbar puncture and led to years of infusion treatments; clinicians said a re-review with updated imaging prompted the change.
- Applegate described deep emotional harm from the episode, including a major depressive episode, guilt over her public MS advocacy and months-long hospitalization earlier in 2026 before returning home in August.
- Neurologists warn MS has no single definitive test and misdiagnosis is common; Applegate plans to consult specialists and undergo renewed diagnostic work to identify what is causing her persistent problems.