During a recent episode of her podcast MeSsy, recorded from her hospital bed, Christina Applegate opened up about a harrowing medical scare that led to a weeklong stay in the hospital.
The 53-year-old actress, known for her roles in Dead to Me and Married… With Children, was hospitalized in Los Angeles after doctors discovered a kidney infection that had spread from her right kidney to the left, requiring immediate and intensive treatment.
Speaking candidly on the August 5 podcast episode she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate recounted the events leading up to her hospitalization. While visiting family in Europe, she began experiencing waves of stomach pain that left her drained and unable to enjoy the trip.
“I felt off the entire time I was there,” she said. “Not so sick that I couldn’t do anything—but enough that I’d be fine for a bit and then suddenly need to lie down from the stomach pain.”
The discomfort worsened dramatically during her 11-hour flight home. With a history of chronic, unexplained abdominal pain, Applegate had previously been sent home from ER visits with no concrete answers. Determined not to repeat that pattern, she made a firm decision to admit herself into the hospital upon landing.
“I told them, ‘I’m not leaving. I want answers. I want every test you can think of, and even ones you haven’t,’” she recalled telling the hospital staff.
By Sunday, her condition had deteriorated rapidly. The pain shifted from her abdomen to her back, growing so intense that she feared her appendix was about to burst. In the middle of the night, doctors performed an emergency CT scan, which revealed a serious kidney infection. She was immediately started on IV antibiotics.
Doctors believe the infection may have started as a urinary tract infection. With her usual dry humor, Applegate recalled that one nurse asked if she was “wiping correctly.” She laughed and replied that she’s extremely particular about hygiene—jokingly calling herself “a clean girl down yonder.”
Despite identifying the kidney infection, medical staff continued exploring other potential causes, something Applegate chose not to disclose. “They think it could be something else,” she said, “but I’m not going to say what, because I don’t want it to sound scary.”
The experience was not only physically draining, but also emotionally overwhelming. She described moments of crying in nurses’ arms and called herself “a bag o’ tears.” To cope, she leaned into small comforts: hospital ice, background TV shows, and what she lightheartedly called “bedrotting”—long hours spent lying in bed recovering.
After a week of treatment, Applegate was discharged and later told People that she was continuing her recovery at home. Though the kidney infection had been treated, she admitted that her ongoing stomach issues are still “a work in progress.”
This episode adds another chapter to Applegate’s ongoing health journey. In 2021, she revealed her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. The condition causes the immune system to attack myelin—the protective layer around nerve fibers—leading to a wide range of symptoms, including pain, weakness, and difficulty with coordination.
Applegate has spoken openly about how MS affects her daily life, sharing on the podcast that she sometimes has trouble swallowing and uses a straw to help. In a 2024 interview on Good Morning America, she called MS an “invisible disease,” noting how the constant pain and fatigue can be hard for others to grasp.
“I live in excruciating pain every day,” she admitted. On a November 2024 episode of MeSsy, she revealed, “I lay in bed screaming,” referring to the sharp nerve pain and muscle spasms that have become a regular part of her existence.
The toll MS has taken on her body has made acting increasingly difficult. At her 2022 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, she reflected on her career, calling it “my beginning and my… my possible end.” She expressed uncertainty about whether she’ll ever return to acting again.
Applegate said that filming Dead to Me was the highlight of her career, calling it “the most fun I’ve ever had on a set.” During production of the show’s final season, the team made accommodations for her MS, including a sound technician who discreetly held her legs steady when standing became too painful.
She remains deeply grateful for the love and understanding she received from the cast and crew. “I don’t know what the future holds,” she said. “How will I work on a set again? Who will be patient enough to support what I need? I just don’t know.”