Best known for her breakout role in The Sopranos, Jamie-Lynn Sigler has spent the past 25 years navigating life with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS)—a diagnosis she kept largely private for more than a decade. Now, she’s stepping fully into her story with a deeply personal new memoir, pulling back the curtain on her journey, from brushing off her symptoms on set to learning how to set boundaries, ask for help and advocate for herself.
Beyond her own healing, Sigler is channeling that hard-won confidence into something bigger. Through a collaboration with Novartis, she’s become a passionate advocate for others living with RMS, encouraging them to find their voice and communicate their needs—a message that carries through everything she does. With new projects on the horizon, Sigler is proving her most compelling chapter may be the one she’s writing now.
Ahead, Sigler opens up about the memoir, her advocacy work and what she’s learned along the way.
You’ve been running around doing the book tour and all the press and travel that come with it—how are you feeling?
“I feel good. I feel very fulfilled. When there’s so much anticipation going into a moment like releasing a memoir, it was a lot in every way. But I’ve definitely taken moments to make sure I’m resting and not focusing solely on myself. Being able to come home to my kids helps—they don’t want to know anything about me! It’s a great reset.”
What was your writing process like? A memoir is a big deal.
“I had never written anything before, so it was daunting at first. I remember thinking, ‘Where do I even begin?’ But once I found my way in, I was obsessed. I was writing in the middle of the night, getting my kids ready for school and then back in bed with my laptop. It became very healing. It wasn’t just about writing a book. It was allowing myself the space to revisit really painful moments, but also really joyful ones—memories I hadn’t thought about in so long.
Being able to zoom out and take a bird’s-eye view of your own life, where you’re the main character, you start to find such forgiveness—for others, but most importantly for yourself. I’ve been so hard on myself for so long about decisions I’ve made, mistakes I’ve made. Even before MS, I was riddled with insecurities and self-judgment. Writing this, I was able to see how hard I was trying and give myself grace for that.
My biggest hope is that whoever picks up this book becomes the main character in their own story and sees that for themselves.”
During the book tour, you are meeting fans and spending time with them. Have you heard from readers about how the book has affected them?
“It’s been so moving. It’s hard to find the words. I actually opened my public DMs for the first time because of the book, and every day I have messages from people saying, ‘I don’t have MS, and I related to everything you went through.’ That’s beyond my wildest dreams.
What I’ve really learned through my advocacy work is that being authentic and vulnerable—even about the really painful stuff—allows people to feel seen and validated in their own experience. It’s such an opportunity for deep connection. The fact that this book feels that way for people means everything to me.”
Why did you decide to partner with Novartis? I’m sure you are asked to pair with brands all the time.
“This partnership is incredibly organic and important to me. From the beginning, Novartis really wanted to understand my message and what I wanted to give to the MS community based on my 25 years of living with RMS. One of the things I ’m most proud of that we created together is a treatment decision guide, available at treatmentdecisionguide.com.
When I was initially diagnosed at 20, I was so overwhelmed. I didn’t ask questions. I shut down, lived in denial and took whatever medication I was told was right for me—without any real voice in my own journey. What I’ve learned over time is that information is power. Asking questions makes you feel more in control and more confident.
A few years ago, I revisited my treatment with my doctor and was honest about my lifestyle—I’m busy, I’m sometimes home, sometimes traveling and I needed to be able to self-administer. We landed on Kesimpta. After three weekly starter doses, I can take it whether I’m home, on location or traveling with my family. I pick the day of the month, the time of day. That kind of independence matters a lot when so much of living with MS can feel like your independence is constantly being chipped away.
That said, it’s important to ask your doctor about risks, too. With Kesimpta, there are some potential allergic reactions, restrictions for those with active hepatitis B, possible liver impacts requiring blood monitoring and injection site reactions. These are all conversations to have with your doctor. That’s exactly why we created the treatment decision guide: to give patients the prompts and questions they need to take a more active role in their care.”
On a lighter note: Anything you’re loving in the beauty or wellness space right now?
“Honestly, as my skin has gotten older, I’ve gone back to basics, more drugstore brands. Even dermatologists will tell you, you can splurge on a serum, but for moisturizer, something like Cetaphil or Vanicream is great. Simplifying my routine has actually made my skin better.
And I’m really into a vibration plate right now! It lives under my bed. I use it before bed, and it just shakes the day away. I’m not entirely sure what it’s doing scientifically, but I feel relaxed. That’s my trendy wellness moment right now!”
