Celebrities And Politicians We're Worried About Going Into 2026

A new year may usher in an era of new opportunities, new friendships, and new ideas, but the excitement of a fresh start does not ring true for everyone. As 2026 begins to unfold, many of our favorite celebrities and most controversial politicians are facing a wave of health issues that could spill over into the rest of the year. These physical ailments could very well get in the way of personal goals, happiness, and overall morale. They could even prevent these public figures from fulfilling their New Years' resolutions. After all, as reported by Psychology Today, over 80% of these yearly targets end up going straight down the drain.

Looking into the New Year, though, we are particularly concerned about a few select figures who have been very public — intentionally or not — about their health struggles. Many of these celebrities and politicians have inspired their fans with stories of perseverance, while others have raised concerns by keeping their diagnoses under wraps. Regardless, each of these figures boast plenty of fans who are rooting for their well-being. From Christina Applegate's transparency about her MS diagnosis to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s concerning experience with brain worms to King Charles III's tragic cancer journey, these are some of the most pressing health and wellness stories to follow into 2026.

Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021, but originally chose to keep it private. As she filmed the hit Netflix series "Dead to Me," however, the actor found that her illness grew increasingly difficult to hide. Speaking on Applegate's "MeSsY" podcast, the show's director, Liz Feldman, told Applegate, "I remember you losing your balance when we were shooting the pilot a couple of times." The actor responded, "It was MS."

In 2026, Applegate's prognosis is not expected to improve. According to the Mayo Clinic, MS is a degenerative disease with no cure. The actor recognized the way that MS has impacted her overall well-being in the comments section of a video that she posted on Instagram in December 2025. "I can't walk the stairs. And [drinking out of a] glass is hard for me. So when I get down for water, [I use a special green] alien cup," she wrote.

Applegate's health journey has reportedly been very difficult on the people closest to her. Her daughter, Sadie Grace LeNoble, has really struggled with her mom's diagnosis. As Applegate revealed on the aforementioned episode of the "MeSsY" podcast, "I see her look at me when I'm in bed and can't quite move ... Right now I can barely get to bathroom, it's the worst, but that's neither here nor there. It's broken her." The mom and daughter have remained close.

French-Canadian singing sensation, Céline Dion, has raised concerns following her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome (SPS) — a condition that she publicly revealed in 2022. Per Johns Hopkins Medicine, SPS causes, "episodes of muscles locking up and becoming stiff as a board."

Since her diagnosis, Dion has given her fans periodic updates about her health. At the premiere for the 2024 documentary, "I Am: Celine Dion," the artist applauded her physician, Dr. Amanda Piquet, for her valiant efforts at treating the condition. "In finding ways to manage and treat my condition, Dr. Piquet has delivered a very, very important resolve for me — she has replaced my fear with hope," Dion said (via the New York Post).

On the eve of 2026, Dion took to Instagram to thank her fans for their support in light of her health troubles. "Thank you for keeping me in your hearts. You are always in mine. From my family to yours, I just want to wish you Happy New Year," she said. While Dion's overall message was positive, the comments section of her post reveals that her fans continue to worry. Many of them wished her health and happiness in 2026 as she continues to grapple with the challenges of her illness. 

President Donald Trump has inspired a number of rumors about his health. A 2026 report in The Wall Street Journal indicated that Trump's skin has increased in sensitivity. Speaking to the outlet, the president confirmed that he suffered damage to his hand after receiving a high-five from Pam Bondi. "The ring hit the back of my hand, and, yes, there was a slight little cut," Trump said.

This was not the only time that Donald Trump's allegedly poor health made headlines. Writing for The Guardian, Moira Donegan noted that Trump has seemed "tired." Describing the president's late 2025 appearances, the journalist opined, "His famous fake tan is a bit more sallow than usual and seems painted on more thickly and clumsily than it was before. He appears to nod off in front of cameras more and more often." These details have led many political watchers to wonder whether Trump might be facing a serious illness.

Despite speculation about Trump, the president told The Wall Street Journal that he's fine. In the same interview, Trump responded to allegations that he has fallen asleep during important meetings. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink," he claimed. Some political watchers, however, fear that the president doth protest too much — leading to a wave of concern in 2026.

During his four-year term, Joe Biden generated many questions about his mental well-being. Writing in the book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson alleged that Biden's cerebral capacities were in decline, and that key members of the former president's team tried to cover up his symptoms. 

Per a report in The Guardian, Tapper and Thompson found that these symptoms involved, challenges with basic physical activities, forgetting names, rambling during speeches, and at time, appearing distracted. An aide apparently told the journalists, "We attempted to shield him from his own staff so many people didn't realize the extent of the decline beginning in 2023."

As 2026 progresses, it's believed that Biden's symptoms will not improve. In fact, at least one political expert says that the cover-up of the former president's health issues may have been damaging to the Democratic Party in the 2024 elections. Speaking to The Guardian for the aforementioned report, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, Larry Jacobs, condemned this move. "Running for re-election was a disastrous decision, and it destroyed an honorable and consequential legacy," Jacobs said. The scholar then added that the ex-president's continued public role could indicate an unfortunate "disconnect between Joe Biden and reality."

It's hardly a secret that Selena Gomez has experienced a lot of health problems. Over the years, the singer has been outspoken about a number of serious diagnoses, ranging from lupus to bipolar disorder. While Gomez has undergone plenty of medical treatments, including chemotherapy and a kidney transplant, it doesn't seem that her prognosis will improve much in 2026. 

In December 2025, fans of the "Good for You" singer expressed concern about her changing voice during Q&A session on Instagram Live. "Yeah, I've gotten this question a few times," she responded. "The voice thing. So, sometimes when I'm on — never mind," Gomez halted. Later she continued, "I get weird. My throat kind of swells inside sometimes. That's all."

This response hardly quelled speculation concerning Gomez's 2026 health status. If anything, it proved extra concerning, given that she had made a serious revelation in the weeks leading up to her Instagram Live. Indeed, during a September 2025 appearance on the "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" podcast, Gomez said that she had developed a serious condition in her hands. "I have arthritis in my fingers, and that's due to my lupus," she told Poehler.

Bruce Willis had a difficult Christmas in 2025, and his future in 2026 is not predicted to be much easier. Since announcing a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in 2023, Willis has suffered considerably as a result of the condition, which causes brain shrinkage, personality changes, and loss of speech, per the Mayo Clinic. The actor's wife, Emma Heming Willis, revealed that Willis' condition made the holiday season very difficult for the whole family. The reason? It made Willis' loved ones miss the man he used to be. 

"He loved this time of year — the energy, the family time, the traditions. He was the pancake-maker, the get-out-in-the-snow-with-the-kids guy, the steady presence moving through the house as the day unfolded," Heming Willis revealed in an essay published on her website.

In the same essay, Heming Willis reflected on how her husband's condition would impact the family's holiday traditions. "This holiday season, our family will still unwrap gifts and sit together at breakfast. But instead of Bruce making our favorite pancakes, I will," she noted. Willis' slow decline caused a considerable amount of emotional pain for his loved ones. "There will be laughter and cuddles. And there will almost certainly be tears because we can grieve and make room for joy," Heming Willis added. Ultimately, these words have left fans to understand that 2026 will likely be a very challenging year for Willis.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he wants to "make America healthy again," but the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has had a number of health problems of his own. In a 2012 deposition later examined by The New York Times, Kennedy said that a parasite had, at one point, resided in his brain. According to Kennedy, his persistent symptoms of brain fog and memory loss had been "caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died." The episode had apparently left him with a number of neurological issues. "I have cognitive problems, clearly," he said in the deposition. "I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me."

Although it's unclear whether this episode continues to impact Kennedy's judgment, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services insists that he is fine. During the 2024 presidential elections, Kennedy took to X, to declare, "I offer to eat 5 more brain worms and still beat President Trump and President Biden in a debate." For all of Kennedy's confidence, however, some political watchers have questioned whether his health issues may interfere with his policy decisions in 2026. Per the same report in The New York Times, some patients with brain worms suffer permanent brain damage while others do not.

After Britney Spears was released from her legal conservatorship in 2021, the pop stars' biggest fans were hopeful about her future. Unfortunately, however, reports indicate that Spears has continued to have a difficult time since regaining her independence. In late 2025, sources close to the singer told Page Six that Spears has not been particularly well-anchored. One insider claimed that the singer "has moments of clarity and moments where it feels like a roller coaster" before adding, "We're always concerned about Britney and her well-being and making sure if she's OK. The question is, 'How do we help her?'"

A separate report in the Daily Mail found that many of Spears' family members believe that the singer faced a number of challenges toward the end of 2025. Her mental health was cited as a key issue, with one of Spears' relatives telling the outlet, "Family and friends are always concerned with Britney as they try to navigate her mental health while allowing her to still be able to do her own thing." Another source alleged that Britney found tasks like tidying her house to be cumbersome. "Her house is a mess. She doesn't clean up after the dogs, she doesn't have someone there cleaning every day, and she just isn't functioning like an adult would function," they said. These reports raise pressing questions about Spears' well-being as she moves into 2026. 

Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, have a complicated relationship, and these dynamics are only expected to grow increasingly tense in 2026. During the last few weeks of 2025, Thomas suffered a blood clot in his left leg that led to his hospitalization in the Philippines where he lives. His surgeon, Dr. Neil Sanico, told the Daily Mail that Thomas required a surgery that would change his life forever. 

"There was no option but amputation," Sanico revealed. "He has a long road ahead of him but I am pleased with the way he came through surgery and the positive attitude he has shown since. He is a strong and brave man." Since undergoing an amputation below the left knee, Thomas has remained in high spirits. In the aforementioned Daily Mail report, Thomas was quoted declaring, "I am determined to walk again. I sometimes get a weird feeling that my leg is still there. The doctors said it was a common thing for people to feel 'phantom' limbs. I know I have a long journey ahead of me." 

Despite this positive attitude, Thomas has struggled with what he views as a lack of support from his daughter and son-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The couple did not visit him in December 2025 immediately following his surgery, although a spokesperson said they tried to contact Thomas via email.

The British royal family may abide by the saying, "never complain, never explain," but King Charles III has broken with the palace's long tradition of keeping health updates under wraps. As a more modern monarch, Charles has decided to make the British people aware of his health challenges, including a cancer diagnosis shared in 2024. As a palace spokesperson told the press in December 2025 (via CNN), "It has long been the King's view that if some public good can come from sharing elements of his personal diagnosis and treatment journey, then it would be his pleasure and duty to do so." These comments followed the announcement that Charles would likely reduce cancer treatments in 2026.

However, as promising as Charles' prognosis may be, palace sources have gone on the record to say that the king isn't sure how healthy he will be by the end of 2026. One insider even told RadarOnline that Charles had, at one point, wanted to include Prince Harry in the royal family's 2025 Christmas plans out of a desire to make amends. "Some believe this could be the last Christmas where [Charles] feels well enough to bring the whole family together, which is why there is quiet speculation he may attempt to draw Harry and Meghan back in, even if only for a short time," the source relayed. Such reports reflect concern that Charles' health will not continue to improve as the year unfolds.