Actress Christina Applegate is offering an unvarnished glimpse into her world through a bold new Instagram account.
The Dead to Me star, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021, debuted on the platform as a means to connect more directly with friends and fans—despite her initial skepticism about the idea.
“If you’d told me a year ago I’d be on Instagram, I’d have said, ‘F–k off!'” she captioned her first post. “But here I am, so I’ll do it my way: real, raw, honest.”
Accompanying the caption was her “favorite picture of [herself] lately”—a striking black-and-white portrait showing her in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, staring intently at the camera. “Taken by my lifelong friend @kevingrackle in my backyard, with chimes that remind me of my mother and a moon necklace from a dear witchy friend. -C,” she noted.
The 53-year-old, mother to 14-year-old Sadie Grace LeNoble with husband Martyn LeNoble, was met with immediate affection from celebrity friends. Minka Kelly commented, “Happy to see you here.” Kaitlyn Bristowe replied with an exuberant “Hell yes,” and her MeSsy podcast co-host Jamie Lynn Sigler exclaimed, “Look at this!”
The Emmy winner followed up with a sincere video on her Instagram Stories the next day, thanking supporters. “I’m not really a selfie person, so pardon me,” she said. “Thank you so much for joining me on Instagram. I’ve seen your comments and felt all the love. I love you guys so much and appreciate you.”
Applegate also previewed her upcoming memoir, You With the Sad Eyes, describing it as a candid chronicle of her experiences. “I’m excited to share it with everyone—it’s my life: the good, the bad, the ugly, and the in-between,” she wrote. “Peace and blessings.”
Christina Applegate’s MS Timeline: From Diagnosis to Defiance
The Initial Announcement
Applegate revealed her diagnosis publicly: “Hi friends. A few months ago, I was diagnosed with MS,” she posted across social media. “It’s been a strange journey. But I’ve been so supported by people I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going—unless some a–hole blocks it.”
Returning to the Public Eye
At her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony—her first appearance since the diagnosis—she injected humor: “Oh, by the way, I have a disease,” she joked. “Did you not notice? I’m not even wearing shoes.”
Unrecognized Early Signs
Applegate now traces symptoms back “six or seven years” before 2021. “Especially in the first season of Dead to Me, my leg would buckle during shoots,” she told Good Morning America. “I chalked it up to being tired, dehydrated, or the weather. Then months would pass without issues, so I ignored it.” By the Netflix series’ third and final season, she required a wheelchair to reach set: “I couldn’t move that far, so I had to tell everyone—I needed help.”
Adapting Daily Life
The Dead to Me lead shared a photo of her canes, captioning it: “Walking sticks are now part of my new normal.”
A Bold Message
At the SAG Awards alongside daughter Sadie Grace LeNoble, Applegate’s sign cut straight to the point: “F U MS.”
Emmys Levity
Receiving a standing ovation at the Emmys, the Married…With Children alum quipped: “You’re totally shaming me with my disability by standing up.”
The Power of Laughter
On an Armchair Expert episode, she explained her humor: “I make these jokes because if I don’t, I’ll suffocate. I’ll be done.”
The Physical Impact
“I’ve got 30 lesions on my brain,” she disclosed on the podcast. “My biggest one is behind my right eye, so it hurts a lot.” Lesions occur when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath around nerves, per the Multiple Sclerosis Trust.
Unfiltered Truths
The Anchorman star was direct with Jimmy Kimmel about her challenges: “It sucks. I’m not going to lie. I think anyone with MS isn’t going to say, ‘This is the best thing that ever happened to me!'”
Navigating Isolation
Discussing her routine on GMA, Applegate said: “I live kind of in hell. But I might get to a place where I function a little bit better. Right now, I’m isolating—that’s how I’m dealing with it, by not going anywhere because I don’t want to. It’s hard.”
Gratitude for Guidance
Applegate credits Sweetest Thing co-star Selma Blair (diagnosed with MS in 2018) for prompting her testing: “She said, ‘You need to get checked for MS,'” she recalled on GMA. “If not for her, it could’ve been way worse.”
A Potential Acting Pause
In a Vanity Fair interview, Applegate suggested Dead to Me may be her final on-camera role: “I can’t even imagine going to set right now. I’m probably not going to work on-camera again, but I’m so glad I went out with someone who is by far the greatest actress I’ve ever worked with—if not the greatest human I’ve ever known,” she said of co-star Linda Cardellini.
