Jenny McCarthy proved she did not read Christina Applegate’s bio on the Television Academy’s website before interviewing her on the 2019 Emmy Awards red carpet Sunday night.
During their chat before the award show on Fox Network, McCarthy mentioned that she knew that the “Bad Moms” star — who was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her turn as Jen Harding on Netflix’s “Dead to Me” — had been “nominated” for a guest role on “Friends” in the past. McCarthy, a judge on Fox’s “The Masked Singer,” then proceeded to make the rest of the interview incredibly awkward by saying:
“Tonight you’re nominated for your own show. What’s that like? First time, right?”
In response to McCarthy’s question, Applegate channeled the fury of her “Dead to Me” character and responded with: “Um, well, no … ‘Samantha Who?’ a couple of times. But it’s OK. We don’t have to talk about that.”
Applegate actually won an Emmy in 2003 for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal as Rachel Green’s sister Amy in “Friends” and was nominated again in 2004. What made McCarthy’s question even more cringy was that Applegate has been nominated twice before — in 2008 and 2009 — for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for playing Samantha Newly in ABC’s “Samantha Who?” — a show Applegate also co-executive produced.
McCarthy added that she remembers watching Applegate on TV when she was young and wanted to be her when she grew up, which was particularly odd being that McCarthy, 46, is only a year younger than the 47-year-old Applegate.
People on Twitter weren’t pleased with this comment.
Yet, aside from McCarthy’s flubs, Applegate seemed to be having a pretty good time on the red carpet. In an interview with “E! News’” Giuliana Rancic, Applegate was asked if her daughter, Sadie Grace, would be watching the Emmys.
“Hi, Sadie Grace! Are you watching right now?” Applegate said to the camera. “I don’t know if she’s watching ‘E!... ’”
The joke was a dig at “E!,” in which Applegate implied that her daughter might have a penchant for another network.
Yet, whatever Sadie Grace’s preferences may be, we’ll take whatever brand of Applegate her mom may be serving at any given time.