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CNN’s John King Details His Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis

CNN anchor John King described years of symptoms before his 2008 MS diagnosis and explained why he chose to disclose it publicly in 2021.
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CNN anchor John King said he had lived with symptoms for years before receiving a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2008. He disclosed the diagnosis publicly on CNN in October 2021, explaining that COVID-19 misinformation and concern for immunocompromised people helped prompt him to speak.

What John King disclosed on CNN

On October 20, 2021, King told viewers during a CNN broadcast: “I’m going to share a secret I’ve never spoken before. I’m immunocompromised. I have multiple sclerosis.” He said he had not planned to make the disclosure. The conversation was about vaccine misinformation and the risks faced by people with immune-compromising conditions. CNN’s October 20 transcript is labeled a rush transcript that may be updated.

King later said he had kept the diagnosis private for 13 years. In his account, frustration with COVID-19 conversations contributed to his decision to speak publicly. He also wanted people to consider those whose health vulnerabilities may not be visible.

Symptoms began years before his diagnosis

King said he first noticed problems with sensation in his legs in the late 1990s. While covering the 2008 Republican convention, symptoms extended to his upper body and hands. He said MRIs, scans and other testing led to his MS diagnosis later that year. In a later interview, he recalled numbness and tingling, heavy or unresponsive legs, and occasional difficulty gripping things. CNN’s October 21 follow-up includes additional details about his diagnosis history and symptoms.

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How King described living with MS

In a June 6, 2022 interview with NIH MedlinePlus Magazine, King described reduced sensation in his legs, problems affecting his right side and hand, occasional falls, and blurry vision. He said routine actions could sometimes require extra attention and that some days were harder than others. These details describe King’s experience, not a symptom checklist or prediction of how MS will affect another person.

“I’m lucky, but multiple sclerosis is with me every day,” King said in the interview. He also reflected: “One thing MS quickly teaches you is that there are so many things that are invisible to us.”

Why COVID-19 misinformation mattered to him

King said medications he took for MS compromised his immune system, which made misinformation about COVID-19 personally significant. The CNN transcripts and MedlinePlus interview do not name those medications. His comments explain his own reason for speaking; they do not establish a treatment regimen or offer medical advice.

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What his account can—and cannot—tell readers about MS

King’s story illustrates how his symptoms unfolded and why he chose to share his diagnosis. It should not be treated as a general account of MS: symptoms, their timing and their effects differ among people. MedlinePlus Magazine’s 2022 page also attributes to the CDC a figure that roughly 85% of people with MS have relapsing-remitting MS, in which symptoms come and go over time. That is a figure presented in the dated 2022 page, not a current estimate verified here.

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During the October 20, 2021 broadcast, CNN colleague John Berman said that “a million Americans are living with MS.” That was an on-air statement, not a current prevalence estimate independently established by the sources cited here.

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