Christina Applegate launches new platform to help fellow MS patients

Christina Applegate is turning her own difficult journey with multiple sclerosis into a safe space for others going through the same.

The Emmy-winning actress is launching a new online platform called Next in MS, designed for people living with the disease to share their stories while learning from one another. Applegate, who was diagnosed in 2021, says the goal is honesty, community, and cutting through the sugarcoated versions of what MS can look like.

The 54-year-old has never shied away from describing her experience in blunt terms. On MeSsy, the podcast she co-hosts with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Applegate has detailed everything from gastrointestinal issues to how the illness has affected her teenage daughter.

Partnering with TG Therapeutics, Applegate is encouraging others with MS to speak openly about their realities. She invites people to share “the good, the bad, the ugly, the in-betweens, the diapers, the things, whatever it is.” For Applegate, that openness has been essential to survival, especially through her close friendship with Sigler, who was diagnosed more than two decades ago.

She hopes Next in MS becomes that kind of lifeline for others. “Together hopefully we can reach more members of the MS community, cut through the noise and talk openly about the truths of living with MS — the challenging ones and the hopeful ones too,” she said in a press release announcing the launch.