Christina Applegate was moved to tears during Monday鈥檚 Emmy Awards telecast when she appeared on stage to present the awards for outstanding supporting actress and outstanding lead actress in a comedy series.
The audience rose for a standing ovation as Applegate 鈥 who revealed in 2021 that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 鈥 walked to the podium while holding a walking cane and with the help of Emmys host Anthony Anderson.
While on stage, Applegate listed off some of her notable roles throughout her decades-long Hollywood career, including playing Kelly Bundy in 鈥淢arried鈥 With Children,鈥 Samantha in 鈥淪amantha Who?鈥 and Jen Harding in 鈥淒ead To Me.鈥
鈥淏ut very few of you probably know me from that debut 鈥 I鈥檓 going to cry more than I鈥檝e been crying 鈥 Baby Burt Grizzell 鈥溾楧ays of Our Lives,鈥欌 she said, referring to her first-ever screen credit from 1972.
Showing a photo of herself as Baby Burt Grizzell, Applegate hilariously added, 鈥渋t was really a breakout role鈥 and went on to say that over the course of her career, it鈥檚 鈥渂een an honor to play funny, flawed complex characters.鈥
Applegate was also a nominee at Monday鈥檚 show, earning recognition for her performance in Netflix鈥檚 鈥淒ead to Me鈥 in the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series category, which 鈥淎bbott Elementary鈥 star Quinta Brunson ended up winning.
In May 2023, Applegate told Vanity Fair in an interview that her work on 鈥淒ead To Me鈥 might just be her last as an actor as she lives with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
鈥淚鈥檓 probably not going to work on-camera again,鈥 Applegate said at the time, adding that while she loved her cast and crew, working had been a 鈥渟truggle.鈥
She will, however, always savor the friendship she built with her co-star Linda Cardellini, saying, 鈥淚鈥檓 so glad that I went out with someone who is by far the greatest actress I鈥檝e ever worked with in my entire life, if not the greatest human I鈥檝e ever known.鈥