On Monday night at the 75th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Christina Applegate, a presenter of the award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, used a cane and walked to the podium with labored dignity. The 52-year-old actress, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, wore a red silk velvet dress, her signature blonde hair parted to the side and falling over her shoulders like a golden curtain.
As she spoke into the microphone, panic and determination seemed to battle behind her green eyes. Still, she conjured the disarming smile she's been flashing at America since 1987, when she played teenager Kelly Bundy on the sitcom “Married With Children.”
Ms. Applegate wasted no time in acknowledging her illness and showing the audience that it wouldn't stop her from taking the stage. Since her diagnosis, Ms Applegate appears to have experienced some of the debilitating effects and has stated that she no longer plans to work in front of the camera.
Still, under the bright lights of a show broadcast to millions of people, she spoke deliberately, making a series of jokes designed to both draw attention to herself and distract from her discomfort with her appearance and chronic illness. Everyone was walking a fine line.
When some in the audience stood to applaud her, she responded reprimandingly. “Thank you very much,” she said. “Oh dear God. You are completely embarrassing my disability by standing up.”
It's hard to laugh at awards shows these days under the best of circumstances, but this statement is a little disturbing. Even Ms. Applegate seemed unsure whether she wanted people to celebrate her efforts or treat her as if nothing had happened.
Her next punch line, “Body not from Ozempic,” worked better. It poked fun at the often unnoticed change that weight loss drugs have had on the way many celebrities prepare for awards season, while also making a subtle observation that cosmetic concerns take a backseat to the reality of degenerative diseases.
In Hollywood, where beauty is currency and physique can make a career, diseases that impair physical performance have a particular terror. Occasionally, celebrities have made these challenges public: actor Christopher Reeve, who died in 2004, spoke about his paralysis; Actress Selma Blair and actor Michael J. Fox have spoken about their respective battles with multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's.
For someone to point out that their body is no longer able to conform to the typical standards of the entertainment industry due to an illness, it takes a certain amount of resilience. Perhaps Ms. Applegate was better prepared for this moment because she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36 and had undergone a double mastectomy. There is something powerful about facing the world with an illness that no amount of surgery can hide, and Ms. Applegate seemed pleased, even emboldened, to be in the spotlight.
The jokes also reminded celebrities in the audience and viewers at home that Ms. Applegate – who was also nominated for lead actress in a comedy series for her role in “Dead to Me” – has made a career as a comedian. While describing her many roles, including her first as Baby Burt Grizzell on “Days of Our Lives,” as the audience continued to clap, she said flatly, “We don't have to applaud every time I do something.”
But in this case the applause was justified.