Christina Applegate Credit's Daughter for Helping Her Push Through MS Diagnosis With Grace

Navigating life with an autoimmune disorder comes with its challenges. While a person’s life changes as they know it, the condition can also take a toll on day-to-day lifestyles, from how you parent or how you’re able to show up in your career. And for Christina Applegate, a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis has shifted her entire world.

Going from living life as a vivacious actor and mother of two to not being able to be as active as she once was is difficult. And while Christina lives with it every day, so do her children, including her daughter, Sadie Grace. While the actor remains a devoted and present mom, she has opened up about the dynamic between her and her kids changing. Here’s the full scoop.

In a March 3, 2026, interview with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, Christina talked about how her role as family matriarch and her daughter has given her the boost she needs to move forward as someone living with MS.

“Where am I at with acceptance? Not at all. I hate it,” she says. “But, I wake up every day and go, ‘I’m Sadie’s momma.'”

The actor appeared on the show to promote her new memoir, You With the Sad Eyes. She has been notoriously candid about her MS struggle, but she chooses to rely on humor to face the illness and show up every day.

Her sentiments fall in line with previous statements she’s made about how MS has affected her family dynamic. In an Aug. 2025 chat on her MeSsY podcast with fellow actor Jamie Lynn Sigler, the “Dead to Me” actor shared that her autoimmune disease has taken a toll on her daughter.

“I see her look at me when I’m in bed,” she shared. “And can’t quite move or, I want to go say goodnight to her in her room but I can’t quite get down the hallway for whatever reason, my legs aren’t working that day.”

She went on to say that this is a version of herself Sadie wasn’t used to.

“She didn’t know this,” she shared. “It was like losing the mom she had to this f--king thing. And the more she’s gotten older now, I think the more it’s hurting her.”

Per Mayo Clinic, MS is described as “a disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves. The immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers, known as myelin. This interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body.”

As a result, folks with MS deal with symptoms that include numbness, weakness, trouble walking, vision changes, fatigue, troubled speech, and much more.

“I was diagnosed in 2021, so we had just gone through COVID and no school and all this stuff,” Christina revealed. “And now mommy can’t do all the things that she used to be able to. And I see it in her eyes.”

Despite the struggle that Christina faces on a daily basis, she shares that Sadie provides her with unwavering support.

“When we’re out, she knows I’m having such a hard time because I have such anxiety about being out, and she’s always got my arm,” she said. “She’s always tried to help me through.”

Christina has always gushed about her love for Sadie. Ever since Christina’s diagnosis, Sadie has been by her side. The duo frequently attends various award shows together, including the 28th annual Critics' Choice Awards in 2023, which marked Christina’s first award show appearance since being diagnosed.

Additionally, Christina says that Sadie is full of talent, often showcasing her comedic and musical skills.

"She's got a lot of accents in her repertoire," Christina shared when talking about Sadie in 2018. "She's such a goofball. She loves playing piano; that's really what she loves doing right now. She thinks she's gonna be a singer, OK?”

At the time, Christina shared that Sadie hadn’t disclosed wanting to enter the acting world. However, she shares that she has a firm rule: She won't approve until she’s an adult.

"She can study acting until she's 18 and then if she wants to have that as a job, then she has the right to make that decision," Christina told the outlet. “But under my roof, you train, and you become the best that you can be."