The Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show dropped a new episode on Monday, and the guest this week is Cruel Intentions and Legally Blonde actress Selma Blair.
To clarify, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg says in a voiceover at the beginning of the episode:
“Hey guys, before we jump into today’s conversation, I just wanted to mention that this interview was recorded before the recent events involving Selma. I am sending her nothing but love, compassion, and support. And I am grateful that we got to have this conversation.”
As you know, Selma suffered a medical emergency on a Delta flight a couple weeks ago. The incident resulted in the 54-year-old disability advocate being arraigned on two counts of second-degree assault, though her lawyer entered a not guilty plea.
Her rep has since released a statement, saying in part:
“Selma Blair experienced a medical emergency on the flight. There was no attempt to open the door of the aircraft. Selma did not intend to harm anyone.”
Per the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the condition “is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system.” Affecting the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, “this system controls everything we do. MS disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the rest of the body.”
Selma’s rep also asks people to reserve their judgment until at least knowing all the facts:
“There is much more to this story than has been reported, and we ask to consider the entirety of the facts before rushing to judgment, whether in the courtroom or in the court of public opinion.”
Prior to all this, Selma spoke with Jenny about life, love, motherhood, and multiple sclerosis.
For years she endured unexplained symptoms, finally getting a MS diagnosis in 2018. She tells the ’90s MTV icon:
“I was actually very relieved to get the diagnosis of MS because by the time when my son was born, I felt great in pregnancy. Didn’t realize that 1) that I had MS and that 2) MS often goes totally, you know, into remission or into relapse-free like while you’re pregnant. [Then] I gave birth and it was like, ‘I’m not okay.’ Like, ‘I’m really not okay. I can’t walk. I can’t stay awake. I can’t. The pain was intense.’ And they just say like, ‘Oh, this happens once you give birth.’”
She continued, saying one day she wound up getting a steroid shot in her neck one day for pain. After the shot she started experiencing dystonia — painful spasms that cause sudden, involuntary muscle contractions and abnormal movements.
Related: Joe Manganiello Shares Hospital Photos From Mysterious 7 Year Health Battle
She explained her body kept “making these circular motions and things I’d never done that I couldn’t stop” She saw a doctor who at first questioned whether this could be a neurological issue or anything with her spine. Apparently the doctor even wondered if it was just an “emotional” issue! Ugh!
But timing worked out for Selma because she happened to experience falling asleep in his doctor “right then” in his office. Selma says her boyfriend, who was there with them, told the doctor:
“She does that all the time. She just falls asleep.”
This obviously alarmed the doc, who realized this might be neurological after all. Finally an MRI was ordered and they ultimately diagnosed her with MS. This brought Selma so much relief. At last she had an answer for all her pain and bewildering experiences.
Meanwhile, her co-star from The Sweetest Thing, Christina Applegate, was experiencing unexplained neuropathy issues herself. Their children went to the same school, and one day while the kids were playing at one of their houses, Selma says:
“She was sitting outside, and she was just in so much discomfort. Her feet had so much neuropathy. And she was saying it was diverticulitis — something I also was diagnosed, younger — and when she said she had the foot pain, I remember how bad my feet hurt after child birth for like four years. And I said, ‘I don’t mean to put my stuff on you, but you should get an MRI. Like, this sounds neurological. You could have MS.’ She was like, ‘I don’t know, honey. I don’t I don’t have this stuff.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, just get an MRI.’”
Christina did wind up getting diagnosed with MS in 2021. Unfortunately, as we’ve just learned quite literally today, her diagnosis turned out to be a misdiagnosis.
Her chronic pain is very real, her symptoms are real, but according to her doctors, they’ve determined she doesn’t have MS after all. She revealed the news on Tuesday via her own podcast with Jamie-Lynn Sigler, telling listeners:
“[The doctor] came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS.’ I was not happy at all. Everybody else was so happy.”
While Christina understands such news would feel great to some, for her it just means she’s back at square one:
“You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of the sudden I’m better. If anything, I’ve gotten worse. So I’m back at square one where I don’t know what’s going on with me. And that’s going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to be getting into just to find out what has been going on since 2021, why did this happen?”
We know that has to be so hard for Christina, and we just hope she can get real answers soon.
For Selma, she’s still receiving treatment for MS.
“No two MS [journeys] look the same. There’s some variables. … I remember asking Jamie-Lynn Sigler in the beginning like how do you ever deal with this fatigue? Like I don’t know what to do. She’s like, ‘oh that’s not my issue. My issue is other things. And so it depends on what’s attacking your system.”
Watch the full podcast episode below:
To read more about Christina’s story, CLICK HERE.
Sending Selma, Christina, Jamie-Lynn, and everyone dealing with chronic pain lots of love.
[Image via YouTube/Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg Show/Christina Applegate/Instagram.]
