Christina Applegate made the perfect speech at the 2024 Emmys, both tugging at the audience's heartstrings and making them laugh uproariously.
The star, who first revealed her multiple sclerosis (M.S.) diagnosis in 2021, took to the stage on Monday night to present an award using a cane, and was received with an immediate standing ovation.
Sobbing, the actress told the audience, "Thank you so much! Oh my God! You're totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It's fine, OK," she said, getting a laugh. "Body not by Ozempic," she then joked.
"Some of you may know me as Kelly Bundy from Married With Children, she said, pausing to admonish jokingly, "We don't have to applaud every time I do something."
She continued, "Or Samantha from Samantha Who?, or probably my last job, Jen Harding from Dead to Me. But very few of you probably know me from that debut—I'm gonna cry more than I've been crying—Baby Burt Grizzell from Days of Our Lives. It was really a breakout role," she quipped, before a photo of her in that role showed up on the screen.
She then went on to introduce the nominees for supporting actress in a comedy series, eventually announcing the winner as Ayo Edebiri from The Bear—who has been absolutely crushing awards season thus far.
Applegate herself was nominated in the outstanding lead actress in a comedy series category for Dead to Me, but lost to Quinta Brunson from Abbott Elementary.
Speaking to Vanity Fair about her diagnosis in 2023, Applegate said (via TODAY), "With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day. There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted. Going down the stairs, carrying things—you can’t do that anymore. It f***ing sucks. I can still drive my car short distances. I can bring up food to my kid. Up, never down."
