Christina Applegate Earns Emmys Standing Ovation as Surprise Presenter, Gets Teary-Eyed: We

Christina Applegate surprised the 2023 Emmys to present the award for supporting actress in a comedy series to “The Bear” star Ayo Edebiri. Her appearance, which Variety had exclusively reported on last week, led to a massive standing ovation from the audience and prompted Applegate to get teary-eyed. She announced in August 2021 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and largely stayed out of the spotlight until a few public appearances last year in support of the final season of “Dead to Me,” her popular Netflix comedy series for which she earned an Emmy nomination at this year’s show for outstanding actress in a comedy series.

“Thank you so much,” Applegate told the Emmys audience as they roared with applause. “Oh my god, you’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It’s fine…Body not by Ozempic. Okay, let’s go.”

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In an interview with Variety ahead of last year’s Walk of Fame ceremony, Applegate said filming the final season of “Dead to Me” while battling MS was “hard as you would possibly think it would be.” The actor had to use a wheelchair to get to set. She told the L.A. Times that it took her months before she could watch the final season of the show.

“I don’t like seeing myself struggling,” Applegate said. “Also, I gained 40 pounds because of inactivity and medications, and I didn’t look like myself, and I didn’t feel like myself. At some point I was able to distance myself from my own ego, and realize what a beautiful piece of television it was. All the scenes I wasn’t in were so much fun to see and experience for the very first time.”

Applegate later told the Los Angeles Times that she’s considering a pivot to voiceover roles full time so that she can continue to make money as a working actor with MS.

“Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set,” Applegate said at the time. “I don’t have that in me at this moment.”

As an alternative, Applegate said she envisions her next steps in Hollywood to involve producing, developing and “doing a shit ton of voiceovers to make some cash to make sure that my daughter’s fed and we’re homed.”

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Larita Shotwell

Update: 2024-09-04

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