Christina Applegate made her first public appearance since announcing that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in August of 2021.
On Monday, the “Dead To Me” actress was honoured with the unveiling of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame “for her strength and versatility in theatre, film and television,” in which she has “proven herself to be one of Hollywood’s most influential leading ladies,” as the Walk of Fame Producer, Ana Martinez, stated ahead of the event.
Prior to the celebration, Applegate, 50, also told The New York Times that it would be the “first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” while opening up about how life has changed since her diagnosis.
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“I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane,” she continued. “I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”
During the special ceremony, Applegate was joined by Katey Sagal, who played her mother in the beloved sitcom “Married… with Children”, and David Faustino, who portrayed her brother in the popular series which ran from 1987 to 1997. Also in attendance was Applegate’s “Dead To Me” co-star, Linda Cardellini, and creator, Liz Feldman.
Christina Applegate thanks her daughter for her support as she receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: “Thank you for standing beside me for all of this. Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Did you not notice? I’m not even wearing shoes!” https://t.co/YpWGxW0eDu pic.twitter.com/EZSJBGeMHm
— Variety (@Variety) November 14, 2022
“I just want to say I’m truly honoured to be a part of history in the making today,” said Faustino, who recalled the first time he met Applegate during auditions for the show. “The following 10 years were quite a wild ride. Christina and I are truly like brother and sister, even to this day.”
He thanked his former co-star for “inspiring me to be fearless” and shared that he’s “so proud” of Applegate’s “body of work” while praising her “powerhouse” performance in “Dead to Me”.
During Sagal’s turn to speak, she celebrated her former on-screen daughter for being “so effing famous” and praised Applegate’s “humility, humour, grace, fortitude [and] bravery.” She also told the actress that she’s been “high on my list of life’s teachers since you were 16.”
“You know sweetheart, some of us come into this life requiring broad shoulders because what’s coming at us needs support to bear it. Broad enough to hold what shows up,” she said. “I’ve seen you, the high highs of love and enormous success coupled with extreme challenges, but you came in with those shoulders and you bear the weight and you bend and you don’t break.”
Sagal went on to express how she loves that, to this day, Applegate still calls her “mommy.”
“I love you so much, my sweetheart, you’re not alone, we love you,” she concluded.
— Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
When Feldman took the mic, she called Applegate “a lioness” on set and “den mother to all,” explaining that she always looked out for her fellow castmates.
As for Cardellini, she got emotional while stepping up to the podium, sharing that one of the reasons she signed on to the dark comedy was because she knew Applegate was attached.
“She is one of the greats,” Cardellini said, before sharing that she’s made a “friend for life” in the actress who “has an incredible ability to make you feel at home” and “treats everyone with respect.”
— Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Eventually Applegate made her way up to the podium with the support of her cane and Sagal, who helped hold her up.
“It’s so Katey to steal the thunder and be behind me,” Applegate joked before beginning her speech.
“I can’t stand for too long, so I’m going to thank the people that I really need to thank. First of all, for my family who has spoken here today, you are my everything. I love that I started with you two and I ended with you two,” she said of her coworkers and co-stars who spoke before her. “You are my people, you are my loves.”
— Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
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The “Friends” star then thanked her agent, along with the rest of her team, before getting emotional as she turned to her family.
“Lastly, the most important person in this world is my daughter. You are so much more, you are so much more than even you know,” she said, while turning towards her 11-year-old daughter, Sadie. “I am blessed every day that I get to wake up and take you to you school. You are my everything. Thank you for standing beside me through all of this — oh, by the way, I have a disease, did you not notice? I’m not even wearing shoes. You’re supposed to laugh at that!”
Additionally, in the audience were Applegate’s mother, Nancy Priddy, her husband, Martyn LeNoble, whom she shares Sadie with, fellow “Married… with Children” actress, Amanda Bearse and her “The Sweetest Thing” co-star Selma Blair, who also has MS.
— Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
Applegate’s star, located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard, is adjacent to the stars of Sagal and Ed O’Neill, who played her father on “Married… With Children”. The ceremony for the “Going the Distance” actress comes just three days before the third and final season of “Dead To Me” premieres on Netflix.
For more on Applegate’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star, check out the live-streamed video of the ceremony in the video below.