There’s been several instances when a star’s real-life health issues contributed to their fictional counterpart.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler announced in 2016 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) when she was 20 years old. MS is an autoimmune disease that damages the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. In January 2026, Sigler played a doctor battling the same condition on Grey’s Anatomy.
“Prior to this [opportunity], I was always trying to say, ‘We can work around [my MS]. Don’t worry, there’s things that we can do to hide it.’ [Jobs] always did and I appreciated it,” Sigler exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “I was met with such compassion and love. But now I had an opportunity to play somebody with MS.”
Sigler isn’t the only celebrity who has done this as Michael J. Fox, Eric Dane and more portrayed TV characters battling their respective conditions.
Keep scrolling to see which stars’ real-life health issues became TV storylines: