Picture this: Christina Applegate, the queen of charm and sitcom sass, now 52 years old, has been fighting MS since 2021. And, trust me, she’s not shy about it. This woman has opened up more about her battle than a box of donuts at a police station. On the latest episode of her MeSsy podcast—yeah, that’s not just a clever name; it’s co-hosted with fellow MS warrior Jamie-Lynn Sigler (of The Sopranos fame)—Christina dropped some jaw-dropping, thigh-slapping truths about the day-to-day chaos of living with this invisible tormentor.
Cue the scene: Christina doesn’t just “lay down” in bed; she’s in full-on opera mode, belting out a one-woman performance called Ouch! My Nerves! “I lay in bed screaming,” she confessed, describing pain that’s so intense it could make a viking cry. “Sharp pains, the ache, that squeezing.” I mean, move over, horror movies; we’ve got a new definition of fear.
But she’s not alone. Guest star Rory Kandel from Rory’s Bakehouse (because baked goods are mandatory for emotional support) shared her own horror story. “It feels like I have knives in my stomach,” Rory said. And not the cute butter knives; we’re talking the sword of actual pain. She described the dramatic moment when she tries to roll over in bed and her body says, “How about no?”
Christina nodded in solidarity, because, of course, her response was basically, “Relatable, bestie.” When Rory asked if Christina gets those stomach-knives too, Christina didn’t miss a beat: “Every single day of my life.” Just imagine reaching for your phone to scroll memes or binge cat videos, and suddenly it’s an Olympic event. “Sometimes, I can’t even pick up my phone,” she said. “And don’t even get me started on the battle royale that is me versus bottle caps.”
Jamie-Lynn chimed in, highlighting the wild paradox of it all: “But we look fine.” Oh, the bittersweet beauty of an invisible illness—it’s the ultimate stealth mode. Christina added, “Yup. We’re basically secret agents of pain.”
Then, the mic drop moment. Christina admitted that most days, she’s lying in bed, unable to move. But hey, after working for half a century (yes, 50 years of pretending to be other people on TV), she figured she’d earned it. “The floor is lava,” she described, about that daring first move to get up. And in case you missed the visual, Jamie-Lynn casually threw out, “It looks like someone put a hot fire poker up my a—hole.” Well, that’ll stick with you.
But wait, there’s more. Christina described putting her feet on the ground like it was the climax of an action movie. “Yep. Feet down. Nope, nope, back in bed. Guess I’m living my best diaper life today,” she joked before clarifying, “Kidding, guys! I’m not actually a bed diaper connoisseur.” But hey, when your nerves are throwing a rave without an off-switch, who could blame her if she was?
So, next time you’re having a tough day, remember: Christina Applegate is out there, armed with humor sharper than her nerve pain, proving that sometimes, the only way to handle life’s toughest battles is with a sprinkle of sarcasm and a whole lot of guts.