Actress Christina Applegate appeared at The 75th Primetime Emmys on Monday (January 15), beating her own prediction that the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards would be her final awards show, all whilst leaving the audience completely stunned.
Making a rare public appearance to present the first Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, the 52-year-old actress looked as glamorous as ever in a plunging red gown.
Following host Anthony Anderson's opening monologue, he announced Christina as the presenter for the first award of the night and noted that the talent had been acting since she was just one year old.
Christina Applegate appeared at The 75th Primetime Emmys and received a standing ovation as soon as she stepped on stage
Image credits: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
As she stood with the support of Anthony on one side and a walking cane on the other, Christina was overcome by the standing ovation erupting in the room.
"Thank you so much. Oh my god, you're totally shaming me [and my] disability by standing up," teary-eyed Christina said before presenting the award. "It's fine. OK. Body not by Ozempic. OK let's go."
The mom-of-one went on to run through her most well-known TV roles, mentioning Married... with Children, quipping "We don't have to applaud every time I do something" before continuing to mention Samantha Who? and Dead to Me. She then noted her debut role.
Image credits: Television Academy
"I'm gonna cry more than I've been crying," she said, noting she got her "breakout role" as a baby on Days of Our Lives. She later added, "It's been an honor to play funny, flawed, [and] complex characters like the women nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series," as per Buzzfeed.
Christina was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy for the Netflix drama Dead to Me, where she played resilient widow Jen Harding.
The Hollywood native further announced Ayo Edebiri as the winner for her work on The Bear, and the two exchanged an embrace on stage.
Following host Anthony Anderson's opening monologue, he announced Christina as the presenter for the first award of the night
Image credits: Television Academy
Even though The Married… With Children star didn’t win her supporting actress category, the masses' support, as well as her cane brandished with a “F*ck MS” message, highlighted a bigger significance.
The third season of Dead to Me had reportedly paused filming for several months when Christina received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021.
In November 2022, she told Variety: "[I]t was about kind of learning — all of us learning — what I was going to be capable of doing." Additionally, "I had to call everybody and be like, 'I have multiple sclerosis guys. Like, what the f*ck!'"
Image credits: Television Academy
According to The New York Times, the actress has not announced any new projects since receiving her diagnosis. She told the publication in 2022: “It’s not like I came on the other side of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine.’” Speaking of that diagnosis. “Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed.”
According to England’s National Health Service, MS is a condition that can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation, or balance. Moreover, it's a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild.
MS is most commonly diagnosed in people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, although it can develop at any age. It's about two to three times more common in women than men.
As she stood with the support of Anthony on one side and a walking cane on the other, Christina was overcome by the standing ovation erupting in the room
Image credits: Television Academy
The Married… With Children star was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2021
Image credits: Television Academy
Actress Selma Blair was also famously diagnosed with the condition in 2018. In a 2023 interview with British Vogue, the Cruel Intentions star said that her symptoms had begun to manifest themselves when she was a child and that her undiagnosed MS had caused brain damage.
As longtime friends and former The Sweetest Thing co-stars, Christina and Selma have bonded over their multiple sclerosis diagnoses. In fact, Selma was reportedly the one to point out some of Christina's early symptoms when her son Arthur and Christina's daughter Sadie had a playdate.
You can watch Christina's emotional moment at the Emmys below:
"I was noticing the symptoms when she was over," Selma told People as QVC's new Brand Ambassador for Accessibility. "I was like, 'You've got to get an MRI.' She did."
Selma went on to add: "We check in all the time. We live right by each other. Our kids were best friends. It's just wild that one of your closest people gets the same supposedly incurable disease as you. It's truly been a really strange, magical time, for lack of a better word."
People were moved by Christina's surprise appearance on stage
