Megyn Kelly suggested Christina Applegate was crying because she might lose her place as the public face of multiple sclerosis. On The View, co-hosts defended Applegate, pointing to her pain and the uncertainty of learning that her 2021 MS diagnosis may have been wrong.
“She’s crying now because I guess she no longer gets to be the face of this disease,” Kelly said on her podcast, describing Applegate’s experience as “a wild goose chase.” Applegate had opened up about being told she’d been misdiagnosed, raising new questions about what’s causing her symptoms.
The View’s panel pointed out that Applegate uses a wheelchair and has described pain that starts as soon as she puts her feet down. They argued that losing a diagnosis while still experiencing those symptoms could make an already frightening situation harder to navigate.
“She got a diagnosis, wanted to help other people, win over the community, is now feeling the pain of possibly not knowing what her identity is and, more importantly, what her diagnosis is,” co-host Sara Haines said.
The discussion also turned to what public advocacy offers people living with neurological diseases and their families. Panelist Ana Navarro, whose husband, Al Cardenas, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, described the uncertainty around symptoms, medication and progression, and said that seeing Michael J. Fox and Carly Simon speak about their experiences helped create a sense of community.
“I, as part of the neurological disease family, want to thank Christina Applegate for her leadership and activism and for being public about her struggle,” Navarro said.