With the future of her Hollywood career uncertain, Christina Applegate took a moment to reflect on some of her most beloved roles this week during a rare public appearance.
Applegate was honored Wednesday for her achievements as both an actor and producer during Variety’s 2023 TV FYC Fest in Los Angeles. The moment was particularly emotional as the Dead to Me star has said she’s unsure if she’ll be able to commit to acting projects following her recent multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
“Thank you so much for being supportive and understanding as I journey through this new part of my life, not knowing if I’m going to continue on to act anymore,” Applegate told the crowd. “I don’t know if I can. I’d love to, I do miss it. I miss it so much.”
She went on to note: “It’s a daily struggle to walk and to move and stuff, but I’m so happy I ended it with a show like Dead to Me.”
Fellow actor Jean Smart presented Applegate with the award. The two women co-starred as mother and daughter on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? from 2007 to 2009.
Applegate concluded her speech on an appreciative note. After expressing her gratitude to her Dead to Me co-stars, including Linda Cardellini and James Marsden, she told the audience, “I’ve had a lot of fun, so thank you.”
Applegate first went public about her multiple sclerosis, or MS, diagnosis in 2021. The chronic autoimmune condition impairs communication between the body and the brain. Symptoms include tremors, fatigue, vision loss, slurred speech and weakness in limbs.
Since her diagnosis, Applegate has become one of Hollywood’s most outspoken advocates for people with MS and has won praise for making bold statements about the disease through fashion.
“There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted,” she told Vanity Fair last month. “Going down the stairs, carrying things — you can’t do that anymore. It fucking sucks. I can still drive my car short distances. I can bring up food to my kid. Up, never down.”
Though she noted that she couldn’t “even imagine” returning to a film or television show set in the foreseeable future, she added, “I can do voiceover stuff because I have to support my family and keep my brain working.”
