Beloved actress Christina Applegate is opening up about a recent health scare that left her hospitalized with a severe kidney infection, one that has now spread to both kidneys.
The Dead to Me and Married…With Children star, 53, shared the emotional and painful experience on a new episode of her podcast MeSsy, which she co-hosts with fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Speaking from her hospital bed in Los Angeles, Applegate described being in excruciating pain while undergoing treatment.
“I’m like, I wanna be admitted,” Applegate said of her decision to check into the hospital immediately after returning from a family trip to Europe. “I want every test that you can possibly think of or ones that you haven’t even thought of, and I want them done.”
Christina Applegate, who has been battling multiple sclerosis since 2021, said she began experiencing severe symptoms during the trip. Rather than risk an emergency room visit in the middle of the night, she opted to go straight to the hospital upon arrival back in the U.S.
Her condition worsened rapidly. “So much pain. I’m screaming, and they ordered me an emergency CT at 2 in the morning,” she recalled. Doctors initially suspected appendicitis after she woke up with intense pain on her right side. “Of course, my brain’s like, ‘Oh, my appendix is bursting,’” she said.
However, the scan revealed a serious kidney infection, which has since spread to her left kidney. “Because of this kidney infection, I have to have intravenous antibiotics right now. And that’s where we’re at,” she explained.
In a mix of vulnerability and humor, Applegate shared that doctors first thought she may have a urinary tract infection and even questioned her hygiene habits.
“They’re like, ‘Are you wiping from front to back?’” she said. “Like, what am I, back-wiping? Like, seriously, I’m 53.” She added with characteristic wit, “I have the cleanest vagina … I’m a clean girl down yonder.”
Despite the jokes, Applegate admitted she’s been emotionally overwhelmed. “I’m holding in a bag o’ tears right now,” she said. “I sometimes fall into the nurse’s arms like a freak-o, just like crying.”
The actress continues to face her ongoing health battles with strength, humor, and honesty, earning admiration from fans and listeners alike as she sheds light on the often hidden struggles of chronic illness.