Christina Applegate Hospitalized, Reveals She Is in 'So Much Pain'

During a recent podcast episode recorded from her hospital room, Christina Applegate described sudden, excruciating pain and the unexpected chain of events that led to a weeklong stay.

Christina Applegate was hospitalized in Los Angeles after doctors discovered an infection that had started in her right kidney and spread to her left, requiring days of medical care.

The 53-year-old actress shared her experience during the August 5 episode of "MeSsy," the podcast she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, which she recorded from her hospital room.

The actress began feeling ill while visiting family in Europe, where she experienced waves of stomach pain that left her unable to carry on with her day.

"I was not feeling good the whole time I was there," Applegate explained. "But not like the kind of bad where I had missed days. It would just be like up and down. Like, I'd be okay for a couple hours, and then I'd be having to go lie down because my stomach was really bad."

Her discomfort worsened on the 11-hour flight home on Saturday. In the past, the actress has been admitted for her chronic stomach pain, given medication until the pain subsided, and discharged without any clear answers. That history is why she insisted on being admitted and thoroughly examined this time.

Rather than risk a late-night emergency, she checked herself directly into the hospital. "I want to be admitted. I'm not listening to you guys. We're — I'm staying here because I want answers. I want every test that you can possibly think of, or ones that you haven't even thought of, and I want them done," she recalled telling hospital staff.

By Sunday, the pain had intensified in a way she had never experienced. It began on the right side of her abdomen and radiated to her back, leaving her in agony. Applegate initially feared her appendix might be bursting.

She shared, "From my back to my front, is like in so much pain. I'm like screaming. And they ordered me an emergency CT at two o'clock in the morning." The scan revealed the kidney infection, which required intravenous antibiotics.

Doctors told her the illness likely began as a urinary tract infection. With her trademark humor, Applegate recalled that medical staff once asked if she was "wiping correctly." She laughed off the suggestion and noted that she is meticulous about personal hygiene, joking that she keeps herself "a clean girl down yonder."

Though the diagnosis explained her symptoms, doctors were still exploring other possible causes. "And now they're thinking it could be something else, and I don't want to say what they think, um, because I don't want it to sound scary, but, um, I'm just going to be here," revealed the "Married... With Children" actress.

The hospital stay was emotionally taxing. Applegate admitted that she sometimes cried in the arms of nurses, describing herself as "holding in a bag o'tears." To cope, she found comfort in small things, like watching her favorite TV channels, enjoying hospital ice, and what she jokingly called "bedrotting" — long stretches spent resting in bed.

She was discharged after a week of treatment and told People magazine that she is now recovering at home. Her ongoing stomach issues, she added, remain a "work in progress."

Applegate's health struggles are compounded by her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS), which she publicly revealed in 2021. MS is an autoimmune condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. In people with the disease, the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers.

When myelin is damaged, nerve signals are disrupted, which can affect functions like movement, vision, and sensation throughout the body. Symptoms vary from person to person, but the disease can cause chronic pain, muscle weakness, and difficulty with coordination or balance.

Applegate has also shared that it impacts her ability to swallow, noting on the podcast that drinking through a straw sometimes helps. There is currently no cure for MS, but treatments can help slow its progression and manage symptoms. Nearly 1,000,000 adults in the United States are living with the condition.

The actress has been candid about how MS affects her daily life, telling "Good Morning America" in 2024 that it is often called "the invisible disease" because the pain and limitations are hard for others to understand. She shared that she lives with excruciating pain daily and has grown used to it over time.

To cope, she often isolates herself at home, avoiding social activities because the physical challenges make even simple outings difficult. On a November 2024 episode of "MeSsy," she said, "I lay in bed screaming," describing the sharp pains and muscle spasms that have become part of her daily life.

These ongoing health battles have forced Applegate to rethink her acting career. In 2023, she reflected on receiving her Hollywood Walk of Fame star, calling it "my beginning and my… my possible end." She expressed uncertainty about returning to sets.

She shared that "Dead to Me" held a special place in her heart, since it was the most fun she had ever had on a set. Production on the final season required accommodations for her MS symptoms, including a sound department member quietly holding her legs steady during scenes when standing was difficult.

Her gratitude for the cast and crew ran deep. "We don't know what my future as an actress is going to be," she stated. "How can I handle it? How can I go onto a set and call the shots of what I need as far as my boundaries, physically? I don't know who is going to be as loving and understanding as this group of people were [sic]."