Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler Describe Initial MS Symptoms | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

We live in this, as you know, this weird. culture uh with probably misaligned uh. priorities where if you're a quote. celebrity, people expect that you. shouldn't have anything to complain. about. and that you're allowed to have. problems, but sometimes I think you're. expected to have problems that are. self-destructive problems like addiction. or you're or you blew all your money in, you know, you did stupid things. But I.

think uh there's almost like a a sense. that well wait a minute um you can get. sick, you can get this disease, but you. were on television. It's I know that. sounds like I'm saying something that. would be painfully obviously true, but I. think there is a little bit of a hiccup. where you're both beautiful, talented, uh, you know, actresses that people know. from iconic work. You have a you got it.

You got sick. What do you mean you got. sick? What did you do? No, I didn't do. anything. I just it just happened and it. happens to a lot of people. Is that does. that feel that there's a weird uh way in. which it's not fitting the narrative of. being a successful, you know, uh. celebrity? Well, I think one of the. things that I've come across, you know, I mean, and I don't really leave the. house anymore. And I mean, if people saw. what my life was like on the daily, they. wouldn't they wouldn't be able to do it. cuz I can sometimes not do it. It's.

really really hard. But I think that the. first thing that I hear from people is, "How did you get it?" Yeah. meaning I. must have done something wrong in my. life to have this disease. I did it to. myself. It's like I had breast cancer as. well. So, oh, you must have done. something. Yeah. You know, and it's and. that that stigma is um you know, I'm. used to it now, but it was for a while. like it was so hard to swallow. because why the f would you think that I.

would do something to have this? Yes. Cuz this is the worst thing I've ever. had in my life. It's the worst thing. I've ever gone through. So, do you. know cry baby off to us? Whatever the. hell you want and then I'm going to. start crying. I'm just having a pissy. day today. I'm having a bad MSE day. Oh, I'm sorry. Well, no, but but cry and. then um I'm going to cry and I'm going. to make my assistant David here and. you'll cry. He I make him cry all the. time cuz every day every hour and very. verbally abusive. This is what this. podcast.

but mine is just like me being really. verbally abusive. Yeah. If he doesn't. make at least five people cry a day, it's Yeah. I feel like I haven't done my. job. Um I'll tell you I where I mean. obviously Christina where it comes from. is. um it's ter it's terrifying to people. that happens. And so people need to. work backwards and say, "Okay, wait a. minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Did you eat a lot of food with zinc in. it?" You know, no I didn't. Oh, did you. did you take like a lot of escalators?

Some people can get MS. No, no, no. That's stupid. That was online. No, whatever. I'm making up clearly. But it is it is a You'd be you'd be. surprised at the the the cures that I. get told about. Like I have this holy. water and I know it will cure your MS. I'm like, really? That's amazing because. there's millions of us across the globe. who still have it, right? And have. probably, you know, done this with the. holy I mean, come on. Yeah. Come on. Yeah. Well, I think that that's that's. but that's the the fear part of the gift.

of the the position I think that we have. that it's you know taken me a long time. to accept. I think you know acceptance. is hard for anyone no matter what you're. dealing with. I think it's like the a. huge challenge in your life to accept. that a situation is what it is. But I. but what I'm looking now as an. opportunity is what I thought would sort. of bring me out of this business. And I. and even when I was out about having MS. and working and it was always people.

very helpful like oh we'll just walk. around it or we'll get you a walking. double when the person walks away you. know so you look able-bodied and normal. you know now it's at this point where. I'm like no if you want to cast me in. this this is the body I'm in because the. my life doesn't revolve around MS if. anything it could enrich a story and I. think that we don't see enough people. like us on camera. We don't see enough. people that have disabilities that are.

not defined by their disability within a. story a lot of the time. And so, you. know, I think that we do have a position. and a power now to to really try and. change the perception around that. celebrities can get sick, but that you. can also keep like doing what you love. and keep living your life. You know, I. think that it's it's very scary for. people and yeah, you can feel like, you. know, people are super human when.

they're a celebrity, but no, we're just. human beings that are doing what we. love. It just happens to be in front of. a lot of people, right? And now we can. use that power for something else. It's. weird. It's an occupational hazard. I. always think it's an occupation like. working in a shoe store or anything. else. It just has this other side to it, which is people recognize you. They. recognize you from working. That's how. Jim Gandalfini felt. I'm sure he told. you that on that plane. I mean, yeah. I. mean, he was he would he's like, "Why. don't you want my plumber's autograph?". Like, it did it just didn't make sense. to him why. he had to have that piece of this, you.

know? Right. Right. I can completely. understand that. One question came to me. is, and this is for both of you, and. maybe I'll start with you, Christine, is. when did you what's the first symptom or. when did you start to think something. isn't something feels off? Is it subtle. or does it hit you like a ton of bricks? It was January 2021. Um, my mom had just. been diagnosed with cancer for the third. time and um, there were some other stuff. going on in my life and it was it was a. really stressful, traumatic time and my.

toes started to feel numb. Just my toes, you know, like a little bit. I was still. hiking. I was still playing tennis. I. was still doing all the things I could. do, but my toes weren't feeling right. And um eventually over those months it. grew from my toes to my ankles to from. my knees down is a whole other ball. game. Yeah. And um I was losing balance. and I but the pain was extraordinary. And when I say numb you it's numb but it.

hurts. Yeah. So, it was like these like. very subtle things that happened and um. finally someone was like, "Well, it was. actually Selma Blair said, "Can you. please go to the neurologist?" Yeah. And. I was like, "No, there's I was like, there's no way that the both of us from. the same movie have MS." I was like, "You crazy." And it was like that was. the end of it for, you know, and by then. I had gotten so bad. And I was in the. middle of shooting dead to me. So, um, we had to really stop for a minute and. figure out how to do this. Um, but.

what's interesting is I look back o over. time and probably for like six years I. was having weird things happening like. fluorescent lights would bother me and. make me dizzy and um being up on a. platform. I I would get afraid of the. height. I was never afraid of heights. Um I'd be playing tennis and like my. right leg would buckle and I'd be like. oo I must be dehydrated or it's too hot. out here. I mean, they were like the. tiniest little things that that you. would completely ignore otherwise.

because there's probably an answer for. all of them, but the numbness in my toes. and as it started to grow up was was. very much um announced in my fingers and. and it just it starts to, you know, it. over. time it gets worse, you know, but. it's that's that's how it happened. And. when and when you say like you you. you've referenced I think twice now that. you're having a really bad day. What. does that mean? You're having a really. bad MS day. How does that manifest. itself? Is it is it in the physical? Is.

it dealing with Is it It's the physical. and and that affects you also. emotionally too, I imagine. Well, yeah. I mean, you know, to go to the bathroom, it's like walking on on needles and hot. lava. So, like I haven't really been. able to get out of my bed today. So, I'm. having just a bad symptomatic day and um. that can be, you know, from anything. from and I always get scared that this. this is now my new normal and I get. afraid that this is the new normal and. then I'll have a day where I'm never. good. I'm just less shitty. Yeah. So,

those less shitty days I'm like, okay, so that was just a symptomatic day. It. was like either I didn't sleep enough or. I didn't eat enough or I'm stressed out. Um a lot of times stress or you know. anything like that really affects it can. make it much worse but there isn't a day. where I'm like skipping down you know. skipped maloo down a street although I. try sometimes right Jamie how send you. videos I'm like I'm trying to skip I'm. skipping today. Yeah. Exactly. And then.

like the next then 10 minutes later I'm. like I can't move a thing. I can't move. or else she doesn't have MS. There's TMC footage of her skipping down. the lane, singing, making it up. This is damn good. Damn, I'm a good actress if I'm making this. one up. Applegate is so full of. Always was. I I would much probably get. an Oscar for having Tourette's than I. would like. And I'm not making fun of. Tourette's cuz I I love Balen out loud.

I don't know if you guys have seen it, but she's beautiful and I want to be her. best friend. But um yeah, for the. casting, you know, but also I was uh. I've noticed that on you've always had. uh and you and I love that you get to do. it on Dead to Me. You get to say some of. the meanest things on Dead to Me and and. it's it's and and you do it where it's. like, yes, you're a really good actress, but um I can also tell that you're. accessing some part of you that wants to.

tell somebody he's a dick. Uh yes. I know. I I don't I don't know how Liz. Feldman knew that that I existed on the. planet. Like, she wrote it, it was. already there, and then she was like, "Oh my god, this is you." And I'm like, "Sadly." Yes. Sadly, how did you know I. had a filthy mouth and a lot of rage? Um, the best the best acting job I've. ever done is being Christina Applegate. out in the public. That is my greatest a. That's your Oscar. Funny. Yeah. Yeah. Everything's good. Cheery. Yeah. And.

then I'm home and I'm like, "Fuck this. shit.". That's what podcasts are for. And that's. right. And Jimmy Lynn, when did you know. that? What happened? How was it for you? Is it the same? Does it start with like. tingling in the toes or Yeah, that was. actually pretty similar for me when I. was 19. I had something similar like. weird numbness in my toes and then it. was rising over a couple of days. And it. was actually right before we were. starting the third season. And I ended. up in the emergency room and then the.

ICU for 14 days. Nobody could figure out. what I had. They I had ruled out they. had ruled out MS at the time cuz there. was no findings on MRIs or whatever. And. I got diagnosed with limes disease. actually initially and they had had me. on a bunch of steroids and antibiotics. And in hindsight, I think the steroids. is what like picked me up out of it. But. a year and a half after that started to. get that numbness again and went to the. I was in the middle of the fourth season. and I started to uh feel the numbness. I.

thought I was just going to kind of ask. for more antibiotics and they redid. testing and diagnosed me with MS. So it. was shocking and not at all what I was. expecting to hear. And to hear it that I. mean at that age you've got to just be. uh uh I don't know feel felt like you. got hit like by a meteor like you're. standing in a cornfield and a meteor hit. you. Like it's it's Yeah, it's weird. I. can like I can remember sitting in the. hospital room and my parents were there.

and I had two friends too and the doctor. was talking after he said it became kind. of like like in a movie where all of the. talking just starts sounding like. muffled and like the room kind of gets. dizzy and I just kind of blocked it out. We went home. I spoke to my family about. it. I went to a doctor's appointment um. for uh like a checkup for the show like. you have to get like a sign off that. you're healthy and I told him and he. told me I wouldn't I wouldn't repeat. that again and so that's what I did. I.

just kept it quiet. I didn't know that. part. Yeah. I mean, he was trying to. protect me and understood, you know, but. it's a hard one to hold in though, babe. Especially when you are the best at. teaching me to advocate for myself and. to have boundaries on set and to say, "Hey, this is what I need." You gave me. that power and for you to have to go. every day and and take that pretend this. isn't even happening. I feel like you. can't talk about it. It makes me want to.

sad face. Well, it's interesting because. we have all these fears. There's a. terror. It's not, you know, just in our. culture. It's in many cultures we have a. but particularly we have a terror of. people uh who maybe we've idolized or. put up on a pedestal in any way. Uh. being sick the same way we. do there. There's this whole attitude. about people getting older and that's.

something where people are constantly uh. feeling that they need to scrub how old. they are or or do things or go through. ridiculous procedures to make sure that. nobody thinks that they're the age they. are. It's a it's another kind of let's. just pretend that this doesn't happen to. people. And um I've taken the very bold. move of having no work done. And I think. so brave. So brave. So brave. So brave. Well, I think of the three of us, I'm.

the brave one. And in a way, you're the hero. You're. the hero. Maybe the one I who's been. through the most cuz uh I mean, maybe. I'm going out on a limb here and I'm I'm. told I I don't have the best sense of. the room. Yeah. But I'm just letting it. go as a 40 as a 44 year old man. I'm. just letting it happen for you. No one is factchecking this. No, there's. no internet. Uh, never was and never. will be. Um,