Some famous people run on pure adrenaline, PR, and delusion. Others are dealing with very real health stuff in full public view—the kind you can’t spin into a “new era” announcement without looking unhinged.
Going into 2026, these are the names that keep making people quietly (or loudly) worry—either because there’s a confirmed diagnosis and a tough road, or because the health chatter around them just won’t stop.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate announced her MS diagnosis in the summer of 2021, and since then she’s been quite open about her health issues and struggles. She has shared in interviews that her life sometimes feels like hell and that there are a lot of things she struggles with or can no longer do at all.
Christina didn’t try to hide it and go on a quiet health journey or romanticize it in any way. She has openly stated that it’s impacting her ability to walk and how she struggles with balance, and she has brought a cane to red carpets. She described what her rough days look like, how she struggles to leave the house, how she can no longer walk down the stairs, and how she has to use a special sippy cup because just drinking water can be an issue.
So, going into 2026, Christina’s family and fans are feeling quite nervous about her health because the nature of MS is such that it’s degenerative and unpredictable and there’s no cure. But she’s got everyone rooting for her, partly because of how open and blunt she’s been about her diagnosis.
Céline Dion
You’ve probably never heard of stiff person syndrome (SPS) before Céline Dion revealed that she has it at the end of 2022. It’s a very rare autoimmune neurological condition that causes stiffness and painful spasms, which can impact a person’s ability to control their muscles. Céline has shared this info with her fans and has been pretty open about dealing with it. She’s also shared that her doctor is helping her treat it and has given her hope.
So while Céline Dion has had a comeback and returned to the stage, the SPS diagnosis means that her future career is unpredictable. You need muscle control to be precise in order to be able to sing like Céline does, and SPS isn’t something you can easily cure by resting and recuperating.
Donald Trump
The rumors about Donald Trump’s health are running rampant across the internet. Some analyse his public speeches and say he’s having cognitive issues; others say it’s just his personal quirks. There have also been rumors about Trump nodding off and falling asleep or looking very tired in front of the cameras, which Donald himself has addressed by saying journalists are spinning lies by taking photos of him mid-blink.
One thing that everyone has noticed is the bruises on Donald Trump’s hands. Some say that looks like he’s had IVs; others say it could be caused by aspirin or just his blood vessels and skin being more fragile due to the aging process.
Whatever those might be, we will never know for sure unless we see some medical reports from the Trump administration—and, let’s be real, that’s not likely to happen. So until we have some hard facts, it’s all just speculation.
Joe Biden
People have debated Joe Biden’s mental sharpness for years, pretty much from the start of his presidential campaign. There have been rumors about whether he’s got dementia or Parkinson’s, neither of which has been proven. What we know for sure is that Joe Biden had prostate cancer in 2025 and has been receiving treatment for it. The prognosis seemed optimistic, but you never really know considering his age. So, going into 2026, people are still pretty nervous about his health, even though Joe himself remains optimistic.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez has shared that she was diagnosed with lupus years ago. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause a whole plethora of issues because it’s basically making your immune system misfire and attack your own body. Selena’s been dealing with this condition for a long time and has had multiple health issues because of it. She’s had a kidney transplant due to lupus complications, and she has to constantly take medications, some of which cause hand tremors. She has also shared that she’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Most recently, she shared on The Good Hang with Amy Poehler that she has arthritis in her fingers due to lupus, and that’s impacted her life pretty severely. It even impacted design decisions at her makeup company Rare Beauty because she wants it to be accessible.
Going into 2026, people have noticed Selena’s voice changing, and she has explained that sometimes her throat swells up, which can change how her voice sounds too.
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis’ first diagnosis was aphasia, and then in 2023 it progressed to frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Bruce has stepped away from acting because his diagnosis means he has communication issues. His family has been making sure to support him as much as possible. His wife occasionally makes updates online and in interviews about how Bruce is doing, and while she says he’s doing well, she acknowledges that it’s a cruel disease. While they’re adapting, it’s not exactly easy.
It’s hard not to be heartbroken about Bruce’s health going into 2026 because dementia is a progressive disease, and they know it’s not going to get better. It’s all about managing it, but eventually it will get worse. So all we can hope for is that he’s comfortable, loved, and surrounded by family, and that they get all the privacy they need.
RFK Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s brain worm saga doesn’t really sit well with him being responsible for making America healthy again. He has said in a deposition during his divorce case that he had a brain parasite that ate part of his brain and left him with cognitive issues like brain fog and short-term and long-term memory loss. He now claims that he’s recovered from that, but can you recover from a worm eating part of your brain? What is fact and what is fiction in his story? It’s really hard to tell with politicians.
Britney Spears
Everyone was very into #FreeBritney, and the hope was that once her conservatorship ended and she could finally be free and take control of her life, it would all be good. But since then, people have been even more concerned for Britney due to her activity on social media. Instagram posts of her dancing in her home range from strange, at the least, to kind of concerning. And while it’s truly none of our business at this point, people online are using them to create theories and scenarios as to what’s going on with Britney.
King Charles III
The 2024 announcement that King Charles had cancer shocked the public, especially because the rule of thumb for royals is “never complain, never explain.” So the fact that the Palace shared King Charles’ diagnosis was very concerning. Since then, Charles has been receiving treatment, and while he did have to spend some time in the hospital, he has been able to return home and keep a relatively busy schedule.
Going into 2026, speculations continue and are fueled in part by Prince Harry’s mention that he doesn’t know how long his father has to live and the general concern that comes with the age of the monarch and his diagnosis.
