Christina Applegate revealed that she was hospitalized after not feeling well and experiencing pain that left her ‘screaming’ amid her ongoing multiple sclerosis (MS) battle.
The 53-year-old Dead To Me actress – who announced her diagnosis of the autoimmune disease in 2021 – got candid about the latest health update on Tuesday’s episode of her MeSsy podcast.
The star recorded the new episode from her hospital bed and explained to listeners that she wasn’t doing it ‘because I felt like doing one from the hospital was an awesome idea.’
Christina said that she had been on a recent European trip to visit family when she started to not feel well. And upon returning to California, she soon learned that she had a kidney infection.
During the getaway, the mom-of-one expressed that she would feel fine ‘for a couple hours, and then I’d be having to go lay down because my stomach was really bad.’
Following an 11-hour flight back home and still feeling ill, she immediately went to the hospital and refused to leave until she received ‘some f***ing answers.’
‘Think outside the box. Don’t just leave me there, give me meds and say, “You feel better now, you’re going home,”‘ the actress said.
‘I want to know why this is happening and I want it to stop so that I don’t have to keep coming here.’
Christina was then admitted into a hospital in Los Angeles, where she began to suffer from pain ‘on my right side, in my back.’
Initially, the Married… With Children star thought that the pain was possibly associated with her appendix.
She recalled, ‘From my back to my front is in so much pain. I’m screaming and they ordered me an emergency CT at 2:00 in the morning.’
Following the CT scan, it was revealed that Christina had an infection in both her kidneys.
‘So, I’m here because of this kidney infection and I have to have intravenous antibiotics right now. That’s where we’re at.’
At the time of the recording, she stated that doctors think it ‘could be something else’ but didn’t offer further details to listeners. It is also not known exactly when she recorded Tuesday’s episode.
However, the Hollywood actress added doctors had thought she could have had a possible urinary tract infection (UTI) during a past hospital visit – and revealed they asked her about her wiping technique.
‘Like, what am I back-wiping? Like, seriously, I’m 53. I have like, so here we go, the cleanest vagina…I’m a clean girl down yonder.’
In 2021, the actress announced that she had been diagnosed with MS – a ‘disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves’ which ‘can cause numbness, weakness, trouble walking, vision changes and other symptoms,’ per Mayo Clinic.
Back in May, Christina gave a heartbreaking health update and revealed that she doesn’t ‘leave the house anymore.’
During an appearance on Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, the star admitted, ‘I don’t really leave the house anymore.
‘If people saw what my life was like on the daily, they wouldn’t they wouldn’t be able to do it. Because I can sometimes not do it. It’s really, really hard.’
She added, ‘The first thing that I hear from people is how did you get it? Meaning I must have done something wrong in my life to have this disease, I did it to myself. It’s like I had breast cancer as well so, oh you must have done something.
‘That stigma, I’m used to it now but it was so hard to swallow for a while because why the f*** would you think that I would do something to have this, because this is the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life.’
The actress candidly expressed, ‘It’s the worst thing I’ve ever gone through.’
Christina explained what a bad day looks for her and said, ‘to go to the bathroom is like walking on needles and hot lava so I haven’t really been able to get out of my bed today.’
The star then shared early symptoms she had, such as numbness and also losing her balance.
Last month in July, Christina also announced that she is set to release a new memoir titled You With The Sad Eyes. She expressed that she made the decision to pen the book when she was ‘forced to slow down.’
Her upcoming memoir was acquired by Little, Brown And Company and is slated to hit shelves later next year in March 2026.
She gets candid about her life – including her health journey, tumultuous upbringing in Lauren Canyon, struggles with insecurities, and suffering from past abuse and assault.
‘I’ve had a career in TV and film since I was 3 years old, and I loved it. But with MS, all the things I thought were important shifted,’ the Emmy-nominated actress said began in a statement, per People.
‘For a long time, it felt impossible to find the meaning in everything I’ve been through, but for the first time in my life I’ve been able to stop and reflect.’
Christina then admitted that it was ‘scary’ to ‘to tell it all’ in her candid memoir.
‘But no matter how dark it gets, I wrote this because I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone.’
The star further explained to readers that her book ‘won’t be some big violin scratching for my life. But it will be real. It will be filled with the ups and downs, the humor and grief of life. So here I am. Real me. Lots to say.’
Along with opening up about her childhood and life in the spotlight, Christina also discusses her experience with MS.
The star kicked off her entertainment career as a baby in the early 70s when she appeared in an episode of Days Of Our Lives.
From 1987 through 1997, the actress portrayed the character of Kelly Bundy in the sitcom Married… With Children.
The mom-of-one also took on a role in the Anchorman franchise – such as Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy (2003) and the sequel Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013).
From 2019 through 2022, she played Jen Harding in the critically-acclaimed series Dead To Me alongside Linda Cardellini and James Marsden.
Christina garnered both Emmy and Golden Globe nominations based on her performance in the show.
