‘The View’ Co-Hosts Blast Megyn Kelly as a ‘Bully’ After She Mocks Christina Applegate Over MS Misdiagnosis

The hosts of daytime talk show "The View" unleashed a fierce defense of Christina Applegate this week, delivering blistering rebukes against Megyn Kelly after the conservative media personality mocked the Emmy-winning actor for revealing she was recently misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The controversy erupted following an emotional announcement from Applegate on her podcast, “MeSsy,” where she shared with listeners that advanced medical technology had revealed her 2021 diagnosis of MS was incorrect. Rather than celebrating the news, Applegate expressed profound shock, confusion, and a feeling of disorientation, noting that her physical symptoms have not improved and that she remains back at square one without a definitive explanation for her health struggles.

Reacting to the news on her eponymous talk show, Kelly took aim at Applegate, suggesting that the actor was upset because she would lose her status as a prominent voice for the illness.

“This is, like, the problem with celebrities like wanting to lean into their health problems,” Kelly said on her program, dismissing Applegate’s deeply personal health journey as a “wild goose chase.” Kelly went on to allege that Applegate must be “crying now because I guess she no longer gets to be the face of this disease.”

It did not take long for those comments to draw outrage, culminating in a sharp, multi-pronged takedown from the panel on ABC’s "The View." Co-host Whoopi Goldberg opened the discussion by challenging Kelly’s premise directly, questioning the underlying empathy of the remarks.

“So, let me ask you, ma’am, you think Christina wanted to have MS so she could have a good time? Are you crazy?” Goldberg fired back on the daytime program, echoing sentiments shared across social media and by health advocates alike.

Fellow co-host Sara Haines immediately chimed in to underscore the absurdity and cruelty of Kelly’s framing. “Who wants to be the face of MS?” Haines asked the audience, before launching into a broader critique of Kelly’s media career and commentary style.

“Talk about kicking someone when they’re down,” Haines continued. “She got a diagnosis and wanted to help other people. [She’s] now feeling the pain of not knowing what her identity is and, more importantly, what her diagnosis is. Megyn Kelly sold her soul for politics. Which one did a better job here? She literally has sunk so low in my book.”

The condemnation from the panel quickly escalated as other co-hosts offered their own severe assessments of Kelly’s approach to sensitive public interest stories. Ana Navarro pulled no punches, stating plainly that she did not “even want to get into the Megyn Kelly of it all because I think she’s like a fungus that thrives on oxygen that she gets by purposely creating outrage.”

Haines added to Navarro’s characterization by labeling Kelly a “bully,” while Sunny Hostin delivered a concise and severe evaluation, slamming Kelly as “an ugly person.”

Goldberg brought the segment’s discussion to a reflective close by emphasizing the fundamental purpose of public figures sharing their vulnerabilities.

“The idea that you would come out and say something like this, Megyn, is unbelievable, that you don’t have the wherewithal to recognize that someone is saying, ‘This is what’s happening to me. That’s how we get through our lives. We connect to each other. That’s what this is about, and I’m going to connect to you and say rethink your position on this, because you’re wrong,’” Goldberg concluded.

The firestorm centers on a difficult and complex chapter for Applegate, who initially went public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021. The diagnosis forced a major pivot in her professional life, leading her to step away from acting following the emotional final season of her critically acclaimed Netflix dark comedy series “Dead to Me,” which wrapped up production the following year.

Rather than retreating completely from the public eye, Applegate chose to channel her platform into advocacy for individuals battling chronic illnesses. Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease that involves the immune system attacking the protective sheath covering nerve fibers, causing communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body. To spread awareness and foster a sense of community for those navigating similar physical hurdles, Applegate launched the “MeSsy” podcast alongside “The Sopranos” star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, providing a candid, humorous, and raw space to discuss life with chronic health conditions.

After taking a scheduled seven-month break from recording the podcast, Applegate made her return on October 21. During the episode, she broke down in tears as she delivered the unexpected medical update to her listeners, explaining that new diagnostic tools and evaluations had led her medical team to a stunning conclusion.

“This may come as great news, but to me, I’m back at square one,” Applegate told her listeners, visibly shaken. “It’s hard to say that [my doctor] came into my room and she said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS.’ You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I’m better. I haven’t gotten better … If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways. So I’m back at square one, that I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

Applegate also expressed a profound sense of guilt regarding her years spent advocating for the MS community, admitting that she felt an overwhelming burden of responsibility despite having no control over the original medical assessment.

“It’s weird because I feel like I let everybody down,” she shared, describing the revelation as a profound mental hurdle. Acknowledging that she remains in a deep “state of shock,” the actor summarized the emotional toll of the ordeal by telling her audience, “It’s a mindfuck, for sure.”