“My very first take, where I do say the words that ‘I have MS,’ was very emotional for me,” Sigler shared.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler chokes up recalling keeping MS a secret as she plays Grey’s Anatomy character with disease

"My very first take, where I do say the words that 'I have MS,' was very emotional for me," Sigler shared.

By Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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January 16, 2026 1:28 p.m. ET

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Jamie-Lynn Siger on 'Good Morning America'. Credit:

Good Morning America/YouTube

Jamie-Lynn Sigler's new *Grey's Anatomy* role has her remembering the emotionally trying time before she went public with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

"To think back 25 years ago — when I was diagnosed and having to keep it a secret, thinking that if anybody knew that I had MS, that meant that I would never work again — and to now be in a position where my having MS inspired a role in a storyline on a show like *Grey's Anatomy*, I never would have believed you," Sigler told ABC News' Kelley Carter in an interview that aired on Friday's *Good Morning America*.

Thursday marked Sigler's debut in a guest role portraying Dr. Laura Kaplan, a urologist living with MS. Dr. Kaplan joins the doctors of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital at the call of Debbie Allen's Dr. Catherine Fox, a fellow urologist. Dr. Fox is looking for someone to give her husband, Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.), a second opinion on treating his prostate cancer — an arc inspired by Pickens' real-life diagnosis as well.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler on 'Good Morning America'.

Good Morning America/YouTube

Per Deadline, the role of Dr. Kaplan was created for Sigler, who has become one of the most outspoken advocates for transparency around living with MS and other chronic conditions of its kind.

The actress was diagnosed with MS when she was 20, during her tenure on *The Sopranos*. But Sigler didn't publicly share her diagnosis for 15 years, when she revealed the news in a 2017 interview with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. "I used to think it was better to have people not know than to have people help me. Over the years, living like that took its toll, not just physically but emotionally," Sigler said at the time.

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Playing Dr. Kaplan has been an emotional journey for Sigler, who marveled at portraying a character who openly discusses living with her MS and says lines like, "I have MS, so standing for long periods in the [operating room] just isn't an option."

"My very first take, where I do say the words that 'I have MS,' was very emotional for me," Sigler recalled, adding that she aims to "to show someone in their power" and "show somebody that is living with [MS] authentically" with her portrayal of Dr. Kaplan.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler on 'Grey's Anatomy'.

Anne Marie Fox/Disney

While Sigler previously kept a tight lid on living with MS, she now talks openly about it with her friend in the MS fight, Christina Applegate. The duo launched the podcast *MeSsy *in 2020, in which they discuss the struggles of living with the condition.

Similarly to how the pair use their podcast to give hope to others with the same condition, Sigler told ABC News that she hopes her guest role can inspire viewers experiencing major challenges.

"We all have things in life that I think we carry with us that we have to push through, persevere through, or we feel shame or guilt around," Sigler said. "I hope that my story, through whoever's lens, they can interpret that and see more possibility and hope for themselves."

Watch Sigler's interview above. *Grey's Anatomy* airs Thursdays on ABC.**

- Grey's Anatomy Fandom

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