Christina Applegate has reportedly been hospitalized in Los Angeles, prompting renewed concern about her ongoing battle with multiple sclerosis.
According to TMZ, the Dead to Me star, 54, was admitted in late March. The exact reason for her hospitalization has not been confirmed, and it remains unclear whether it is directly connected to her MS.
Her representative declined to provide details, saying: “I have no comment whether she is in the hospital or what her medical treatments are. She’s had a long history of complicated medical conditions that she has been refreshingly open about, as evidenced in her memoir and on her podcast.”
The report comes shortly after Applegate spoke candidly about the toll the disease has taken on her life since her 2021 diagnosis.
Discussing the exhaustion linked to MS, she said: “I’m not tired. I really hate that — when someone says, ‘Oh, you’re tired today.’ No,” Applegate said. “‘Oh, you’re fatigued today.’ No. ‘Do you feel like you’re on horse tranquilizers?’ Yes.”
Early symptoms
On SiriusXM’s This Life of Mine with James Corden, Applegate previously described how her symptoms began gradually and were easy to dismiss.
“For years and years and years, I’d have, like, some weird things…balance issues, speech issues,” she said. “My hands would shake sometimes, and I remember playing tennis… my knee would go out.”
At the time, the former Married… with Children star assumed the symptoms were minor issues like dehydration or heat.
Like many early MS cases, the inconsistent symptoms made them easy to overlook.
In January 2021, she said she first noticed her toes going numb.
“And I ignored it,” she admitted, adding that she kept hiking despite muscle spasms. Over time, she said the symptoms became “weirder and weirder” and harder to explain away.
As filming neared the final season of Dead to Me, her condition worsened. “I was like, ‘You guys, I can’t even walk up the steps to my trailer.’”
Life today
In her memoir You With the Sad Eyes, released last month, Applegate details the reality of living with the condition.
“When I wake up, I often can’t get my arm to move far enough to grab the cup of water by my bed or my phone from its charger,” she wrote.
She has also spoken about frequent infections and emergency room visits, saying she has been hospitalized multiple times since her diagnosis, often dealing with severe pain.
Despite the challenges, Applegate continues to work and stay active through her podcast MeSsy, co-hosted with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and her recent book release.