Overwhelmed By Emotion, Christina Applegate, 52, “Blacked Out” For a Moment in Front of The Emmys Crowd– Her Brave Journey With Multiple Sclerosis

The “Married with Children” and “Dead to Me” revealed in the spring of 2021 she was diagnosed with MS. Although she was at first hesitant to announce her diagnosis to the public, she has since her resilience and strength through adversity is something we all can admire—something which is surely apparent following the applause she received at the 2024 Emmy Awards.

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A post shared by Christina Applegate 🌐 (@1capplegate)

During a video clip of interview on Good Morning America, which was shared on “X,” formerly known as Twitter, on Monday morning, Applegate admitted she’s feeling loved, saying, “I live kind of in hell. I’m not out a lot, so this is feeling a little difficult just for my system. But yeah, of course.

“The support is wonderful and I’m really grateful.”

Applegate revealed to Roberts about how she felt during her recent Emmys appearance, where she was praised and applauded by the audience before presenting the first award of the night to Ayo Edebiri for best supporting actress in a comedy, saying “I actually kinda blacked out. People said, ‘Oh, you were so funny,’ and I’m like, I don’t even know what I said.

“I don’t know what I was doing. I got so freaked out that I didn’t even know what was happening anymore.”

At the annual event, Applegate, wearing a red velvet Christian Siriano gown, joked about her Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis and entertained the crowed for the minutes she was on stage.

As Applegate spoke to Roberts, alongside her fellow actress and friend Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who is also living with MS at age 42, she explained further, “And I felt really beloved. And it was a really beautiful thing.

“Then, I’m just gonna say this… that audience stood up for everybody.”

.@1capplegate talks to @RobinRoberts about presenting at the Emmys and receiving a standing ovation: "It was a really beautiful thing."

See more of Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler's first sit-down interview about the battle they both face with MS on GMA tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/1sEjEZ7psT

— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 11, 2024

During the Emmys on January 15, 2026, Applegate was seen emotionally and telling the audience,  “Thank you so much, oh my God. You’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up, it’s fine, OK.

“It’s fine … Body not by Ozempic. Okay. Let’s go.”

Applegate certainly charmed the crowd with her humor and resilience after walking out onto the stage, with her cane in hand, and comedian, and host of the event, Anthony Anderson kindly escorting her in.

At one point she even said, “We don’t have to applaud every time I do something.”

It’s great to see Applegate so supported, whether it be her fans, the Emmys audience, or her friends, like Sigler who sat alongside her during the GMA interview.

Sigler and Applegate were also together during a recent sit-down interview People where Sigler said Muscular Sclerosis “brought us together.”

Applegate also told People, “We have each other and that’s helped us so much.”

RELATED: I Wanted to Be Me Again, But I Also Needed Their Help — Finding That Support System

We’re happy to see Applegate speaking out about how important support is to her during her MS journey and that she’s pushing through the tough times to

Applegate previously told Vanity Fair, “With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day,” Applegate explained to Vanity Fair. “With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day.”

She explained how everyday activities like taking showers, using stairs, and carrying things are all difficult. Since Applegate’s symptoms can have wide-ranging impacts, she noted voiceover work is best suited for her at this stage in her career.

“I can do voiceover stuff because I have to support my family and keep my brain working,” she said.

However, performing on camera is no longer an option for the longtime actress due to her MS symptoms.

“I can’t even imagine going to set right now. This is a progressive disease. I don’t know if I’m going to get worse.”

Applegate’s MS diagnosis arrived just as she was filming the last season of “Dead to Me.” Production consequently shut down for nearly half a year while Applegate, who previously beat breast cancer, started treatment.

She first started noticing symptoms of the disease while filming a dancing sequence for season one of the show. She was have trouble balancing, but she didn’t think much of it and decided to simply work harder.

“I wish I had paid attention,” she told The New York Times. “But who was I to know?”

More symptoms arrived over the years like the decline of her tennis playing and a numbness and tingling sensation in her extremities.

Eventually, Applegate was diagnosed with MS a disabling disease where the immune system attacks the protective layer of nerve fibers called myelin which, in turn, can cause communication issues between your brain and the rest of your body. The disease does not have a cure, but medicines and other treatments can help control the condition and ease its symptoms.

Being the warrior she is, Applegate was determined to finish out the “Dead To Me” series. She’s said it was “such an incredible struggle,” but she’s proud she was able to close out her character’s story.

The Importance of Support

Having a strong support system is crucial during the emotionally and physically taxing job of fighting cancer or battling disease. As Applegate battles MS, her quality of life is enhanced her supportive friendships, family members, and fans.

RELATED: Living with Multiple Sclerosis, Selma Blair, 51, Says It’s Crucial To That People With Disabilities Vote To Stand Up For Their Rights

“Studies have found consistently that loneliness is a significant risk factor for physical and mental illnesses and the trajectory of recovery,” licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin told SurvivorNet.

“The act of sharing our time and words with others can alleviate emotional and physical pain.”

The Benefit of Support Networks for Cancer Patients

In order to receive support, however, it is imperative you share at least some details about your journey, either with disease or a disability, with others. But whom you share with and how much to share is entirely up to you.

RELATED: Do I Need to Share My Cancer Diagnosis in Social Situations?

“Some people start to kind of share the information with many family members and friends, and they feel that works for them, and that it’s a way that they can get support from other people,” New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik said. “Other people are much more private about it, and there is no one right way to handle this diagnosis. People should do what feels right to them.”

Some cancer survivors don’t need to go beyond their circle of family and friends for support, but others might need a little extra help. For the latter group, Dr. Plutchik recommends reaching out to a mental health professional who has experience working with cancer warriors.

“Try to find a mental health professional who is experienced in this area and who really understands the nuance and intricacies involved in this,” Dr. Plutchik explained. “Make sure that the mental health professional that you work with is reaching out with your consent to the rest of the team, to the oncologist, to the surgeon if those people are involved.

“It can be helpful to reach out to family, friends, anybody else, any other caretakers that would be involved in the person’s treatment. You don’t want a situation where everybody is kind of doing their own thing on the team.”

“Faith, Family, and Friends” Helped Beverly Reeves Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment

We love how Blair is keeping an attitude of gratitude and remaining grateful for her community, in addition to helping others finding community support. Having a strong support network through cancer is so important.

Ovarian cancer fighter Beverly Reeves shared in an earlier interview how she thinks having a strong community during cancer is critical. She told SurvivorNet, “If I had one piece of advice for someone who had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it would be to get a strong support group together. Get your close friends. If you’re connected to a faith community, get your faith community.”

She continued, “Get your family. Let them know what’s going on and let them help you. And sometimes that’s the most difficult thing to do, but just know that they are there. If they love you, they’re there to help you.”

Understanding Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.

Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to send messages to the arms, legs, and other parts of the body to function normally.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines the different types of multiple sclerosis:

• Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS): This is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what MS is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
• Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common MS among the million people battling the disease in the US, RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
• Primary progressive MS (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
• Secondary progressive MS (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of MS that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.

In addition to balance issues, numbness, and tingling in the limbs as Applegate experienced, other common MS symptoms include vision and bladder control problems. Mood changes and mental and physical fatigue are other symptoms people living with MS may experience according to the National Institute of Health.

Treating Multiple Sclerosis

There is no cure for MS, but MS warriors battling the disease do have methods to manage their symptoms.

Common tools MS patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

A study in American Family Physician found DMTs “has been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”

While chemotherapy is widely known as a cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells, it is also effective at slowing down or stopping disease activity in MS. Applegate’s actress Selma Blair previously underwent chemotherapy as part of her treatment for MS.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with MS or may be concerned you have the chronic disease due to symptoms you’re experiencing, consider asking your doctor the following questions.

• Although there’s no cure for MS, which treatment option to manage my symptoms do you recommend for me?
• Are there any potential side effects of MS treatment?
• What if the treatment to manage symptoms doesn’t work?
• Will exercise or therapy help my symptoms?
• Are there any MS support groups you recommend to help me cope?

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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