9 celebrities with multiple sclerosis who have opened up about the disease
On Monday, Nov. 14, Christina Applegate accepted her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — her first public appearance since revealing her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.
Applegate is one of several celebrities who have opened up about their MS diagnosis and journey.
MS is an autoimmune disease that damages the central nervous system and causes symptoms like numbness, tremors, vision problems, slurred speech and mobility issues.
Below, we've gathered a list of nine celebrities who have openly discussed the ups and downs of their experiences since being diagnosed with MS.
Christina Applegate
When she was diagnosed with MS in 2021, Applegate received an outpouring of support.
Netflix temporarily halted filming of the final season of her hit series "Dead to Me" so the actress could have time to process the news and decide how to move forward.
In the end, she felt it was important to finish the project. However, she described the process of filming with her symptoms as "torture," and speculated that she may not act again.
Selma Blair
Selma Blair received her MS diagnosis in 2018 after spending years in pain.
She received a stem cell transplant and chemotherapy in 2019. In 2021, she announced that her disease was in remission.
In 2022, Blair appeared on season 31 of "Dancing with the Stars." After several performances, she departed the show due to concerns related to her illness.
Jack Osbourne
Jack Osbourne, television personality and son of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, was diagnosed with MS in 2012 at the age of 26.
Only a few weeks after the birth of his daughter, Osbourne experienced numbness in his leg and problems with his vision — key warning signs of MS.
He has since become an MS advocate and released a web series called "You Don't Know Jack About MS" to discuss common misconceptions about the disease.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, most famous for her performances on "The Sopranos" and "Mob Town," was diagnosed with MS in 2002 at the age of 20.
She kept her diagnosis a secret for 15 years because she was told that revealing it would damage her career.
Sigler is now an active part of the MS community and received the Medal of Hope Award at the 2017 Race to Erase MS Gala.
Montel Williams
During the first several years of his 17-season tenure as host of "The Montel Williams Show," Williams spent much of his time in pain, not knowing that his struggle was due to MS.
He received his diagnosis in 1999 at age 43 and has become a vocal MS advocate.
In particular, he is a strong supporter of medicinal marijuana, which he says has been key to his ability to manage the disease.
Art Alexakis
Art Alexakis, lead singer of Everclear, didn't know he was suffering from MS until he was in a car accident in 2017.
Two weeks later, a strange sensation in his arm sent him back to the doctor, where an MRI revealed that he had MS.
He originally kept his diagnosis private, but he ultimately decided to share it because he wanted to encourage people experiencing symptoms to see their doctors.
Emma Caulfield Ford
Like many other celebrities living with MS, Emma Caulfield Ford initially chose to keep her diagnosis a secret.
Ford, who starred on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "WandaVision," was concerned that her MS diagnosis would affect her career.
She opened up about her condition in October 2022, saying that she wanted to be honest before filming her new series "Agatha: Coven of Chaos."
Rachel Miner
Actress Rachel Miner is a familiar face to sci-fi and soap opera fans alike, but her onscreen appearances have been limited in recent years due to her MS diagnosis.
Miner discovered she had MS in 2010 when she went to the doctor with numbness in her limbs.
Since then, she has become the executive director of the charitable organization Random Acts.
Joan Didion
As an acclaimed writer, Joan Didion never shied away from sharing her personal struggles. Her essays and memoirs covered sensitive topics like her husband’s death and her experience with MS.
Didion received her diagnosis in 1972 after experiencing partial blindness, which she discussed in the essay "After the Diagnosis: Living with Multiple Sclerosis."
In 2021, she passed away at the age of 87 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.
The bottom line
Although MS is incurable and can be debilitating, treatments offer an element of hope.
As many of these celebrities have shown, it is possible to not only survive, but thrive in the face of a MS diagnosis.
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