#Christina Applegate jokes about MS diagnosis at Emmys, receives standing ovation
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MS is a “potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord,” per the Mayo Clinic. MS can create “communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body” and “permanent damage or deterioration of the nerve fibers.”
Applegate is no stranger to health challenges. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 and underwent a subsequent double mastectomy. The star also had her ovarian and fallopian tubes removed in 2017 to reduce the risk of a recurrence.
Since sharing her diagnosis in 2021, the actor has opened up about the many ways multiple sclerosis has affected her life. Read on for a full timeline of her MS journey.
January 2024: Christina Applegate jokes about her MS diagnosis at the Emmy Awards
When Applegate walked on stage as a special guest at the 2024 Emmy Awards on Monday, January 15, she had an emotional reaction to the standing ovation that awaited her. But she also met the moment with her trademark humor.
“Thank you so much, oh my God,” Applegate said as she looked out to the crowd.
“You’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up, it’s fine, OK,” she teased, continuing on to say: “Body not by Ozempic.”
June 2023: Christina Applegate gives a health update
The most recent time Applegate gave an update on her MS was in June 2023. Speaking to Variety, she said that her disease makes it hard to act, and she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to continue doing so.
“We don’t know what my future as an actress is going to be,” she said. “How can I handle it? How can I go onto a set and call the shots of what I need as far as my boundaries, physically?”
The prior year, in November 2022, Applegate told Variety that she believes her role in “Dead to Me” could be her last acting job.
“I’m pretty convinced that this was it,” she said, adding that she still intends to be involved in the entertainment industry, whether that means producing projects or doing voiceover work.
In May 2023, Applegate gave a raw interview to Vanity Fair about her life with MS.
“With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day,” she said. “There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs, carrying things — you can’t do that anymore. It f—— sucks. I can still drive my car short distances. I can bring up food to my kid. Up, never down.”
The actor explained that she has a friend who lives with her during the week and helps her take care of her daughter. On weekends, she has a caretaker. According to the star, it’s better that way so she doesn’t get overwhelmed by too much social interaction.
“I also don’t want a lot of stimulation of the nervous system because it can be a little bit too much for me. I like to keep it as quiet and as mellow as possible,” she said.
November 2022: Christina Applegate opens up about her MS symptoms
While chatting with the New York Times in November 2022, Applegate shared the physical symptoms she experienced that led her to seek medical assistance before receiving a diagnosis.
The star explained that the signs began a few years beforehand, when she felt unbalanced while filming a dancing scene for her show “Dead to Me.” She also started noticing that her tennis skills weren’t quite as strong as they used to be.
“I wish I had paid attention,” she said. “But who was I to know?”
Later on, Applegate noticed numbness and tingling in her extremities.
While reflecting on her diagnosis, Applegate admitted that she felt angry about what was happening to her body.
“Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed,” she said.
November 2022: Christina Applegate wears no shoes to receive Hollywood star
Receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2022 was the first time Applegate was seen in public since sharing her diagnosis. She wore no shoes to the ceremony, and afterward, she took to social media to explain why.
“Barefoot. For some with MS the feeling of shoes may hurt or make us feel off balance. So today I was me. Barefoot,” she wrote on X.
She also referenced her condition in her acceptance speech, explaining that she “can’t stand for too long.” To help, the actor used a cane, and her friend and former co-star Katey Sagal stood behind her to physically support her.
“Oh, by the way, I have a disease,” she also joked in the speech. “Did you not notice? I’m not even wearing shoes. Anyhoo, you’re supposed to laugh at that.”
August 2021: Christina Applegate reveals MS diagnosis
In August 2021, Applegate revealed that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few months beforehand.
“It’s been a strange journey,” she wrote at the time on Twitter, now known as X. “But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going. Unless some a—— blocks it.”
The star ended her post by asking her followers for privacy as she navigated her new normal.
Several months later, when Applegate turned 50 in November 2021, she shared an inspirational message with her followers who may also have MS.
“It’s been a hard one. Sending so much love to all of you this day. Many are hurting today, and I am thinking of you. May we find that strength to lift our heads up. Mine currently is on my pillow. But I try,” she wrote on X.
Since Applegate went public with her disease, she’s leaned on her friend and fellow actor Selma Blair, who also has MS.
“She has a lot on her plate. It’s a lot, but she’s as brilliant and beautiful as ever,” Blair said in a November 2022 interview with Entertainment Tonight.
Humor has been an important tool for Applegate to cope. While appearing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in December 2022, Applegate said: “My humor shield keeps me OK. But of course, down on the insides, you feel the things. I do it to kind of deflect and also make people not scared to be around me.”
“When people see me now as a disabled person, I want them to feel comfortable that we can laugh about it,” she added.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
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