Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
(From left) Christina Applegate and Anthony Anderson at the 75th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.
CNN –
Christina Applegate was moved to tears during Monday's Emmy Awards broadcast as she appeared on stage to present the awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
The audience rose to a standing ovation as Applegate — who announced in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — took the stage with a cane in hand and was escorted to the podium by Emmys host Anthony Anderson.
“Thank you so much! Oh dear God! You totally embarrass me [and my] Standing up disability,” Applegate joked, drawing laughter from the audience.
She listed some of her most notable roles throughout her decades-long Hollywood career, including playing Kelly Bundy in “Married… With Children” and Samantha in “Samantha Who?” and Jen Harding in “Dead To Me.”
“But probably very few of you know me from this debut – I'm going to cry more than I cried – Baby Burt Grizzell “'Days of Our Lives,'” she said, referring to her very first film appearance from 1972.
Sharing a photo of herself as baby Burt Grizzell, Applegate hilariously added, “It was truly a breakout role,” and went on to say that throughout her career, “it's been an honor to play funny, flawed, complex characters.”
Applegate was also nominated for Monday's show, earning recognition for her performance in the Netflix series “Dead to Me” in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series category, which “Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson ultimately won .
In May 2023, Applegate said in an interview with Vanity Fair that her work on “Dead To Me” may be her last as an actress, as she is living with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
“I probably won't work in front of the camera again,” Applegate said at the time, adding that while she loved her cast and crew, the work was a “struggle.”
However, she will always enjoy the friendship she built with her co-star Linda Cardellini, saying: “I'm so glad I dated someone who is by far the best actress I've ever dated in my life “If not the greatest person I have ever known.”