CW: Bullying
It can be extremely frustrating knowing something is wrong with your body and not knowing what to call it. For many people, a diagnosis is not the beginning of their journey. It comes later, after symptoms, appointments, and tests have already begun reshaping everyday life.
That is why the conversation surrounding Christina Applegate feels bigger than another celebrity controversy. Applegate spent years publicly discussing life with multiple sclerosis. Now, after learning that the diagnosis was wrong, she is once again left without a clear explanation for her symptoms.
On October 20, Megyn Kelly questioned Applegate’s years of speaking publicly about MS, saying, “I cannot keep up, you guys.” She called the situation a “wild goose chase.” She then suggested that Applegate would miss being the public face of MS.
A diagnosis may give an answer to what is happening inside a person’s body or mind. It may guide treatment or connect someone with a community, but it can also provide something less tangible: validation. When that diagnosis changes, the body does not necessarily change with it.
Pain doesn’t become imaginary. Necessary accommodations do not become evidence of exaggeration. A mobility aid does not become unnecessary because doctors later reconsider the explanation for someone’s symptoms.
We live in a culture that often treats diagnosis as proof. Before receiving one, someone with unexplained symptoms may be dismissed as dramatic, anxious, or difficult. After diagnosis, the same symptoms can sometimes be treated as legitimate because medicine has provided an explanation that other people recognize. That leaves people without clear diagnoses in a precarious place, waiting not only for answers but sometimes for permission to be believed.
Janice Dean is a former Fox News host who has lived with MS for more than 20 years. She defended Applegate and described her willingness to tell the truth about her changed diagnosis as brave. She also expressed gratitude for the visibility Applegate had brought to people living with MS.
There is also something uncomfortable about the suggestion that Applegate wanted to become the “face” of MS. No one wants to be associated with a diagnosis. What some people with public platforms do is decide to use the attention they already have to raise awareness of their health challenges.
Michael J. Fox is perhaps one of the clearest examples. He has turned his experience with Parkinson’s disease into advocacy and support for research. Celebrity advocacy does not represent every experience. but visibility still matters. When public figures talk about mobility aids, dependence, chronic pain, uncertainty, and grief, it can help other people feel less alone.
Disabled people are already expected to provide surprisingly straightforward explanations for our lives. We document limitations and explain accommodations. Symptoms are expected to remain consistent, doctors are supposed to agree, and tests are supposed to provide answers. However, people’s bodies don’t always cooperate.
That is what makes diagnoses so complicated. Being told you do not have a particular condition might sound like wonderful news, but not when the symptoms remain and there is no new explanation. You can be relieved not to have one condition while simultaneously being frustrated that you do not have a clear answer.
We should have enough room in our understanding of disability for uncertainty. Someone’s medical journey can change. Disabled people should not need a clear diagnosis before they are treated with dignity and compassion.
A diagnosis can change without changing the reality of a person’s life. The pain, limitations, and uncertainty can still be there. What changed is the explanation, not what they are living through.
Sources:
Drenon, Brandon. “Christina Applegate Says She Was Wrongly Diagnosed with MS.” BBC News, 20 Oct. 2026, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqlyel3wnxmxo.
Lozano, Alicia Victoria, et al. “Christina Applegate’s MS Was Misdiagnosed: How Treatment for the Wrong DisorderDelayed Her Diagnosis.” NBC News, 20 Oct. 2026, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/christina-applegate-ms-misdiagnosed-how-treatment-wrong-disorder-rcna604562 .
Moorman, Taijuan. “Megyn Kelly Faces Backlash for Criticizing Christina Applegate, Including from Fox News Alum Janice Dean, Who Defended the Actress after Her Misdiagnosis.” USA Today, 22 Oct. 2026, https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2026/10/22/megyn-kelly-christina-applegate-comments-backlash/92380802007/.
Phillipp, Charlotte. “Michael J. Fox Receives Order of Canada Honor for Parkinson’s Advocacy.” People, 3 Oct. 2026, https://people.com/michael-j-fox-receives-order-of-canada-honor-for-parkinsons-advocacy-12156889.