Emmys 2024: Tearful Christina Applegate makes brave appearance on stage with walking cane and jokes her ‘body is not by Ozempic’ amid heartbreaking MS battle

Christina Applegate made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Emmys on Monday – with the acclaimed actress making light of her battle with multiple sclerosis.

Tearful Applegate, 52, who was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2021, arrived onstage to present the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award – and was met with a standing ovation.

Christina, who leaned on a walking stick as she was escorted onstage by host Anthony Anderson,  said: ‘Thank you so much. Oh my god, you’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It’s fine.

‘Body not by Ozempic. Okay, let’s go. Some of you may know me as Kelly Bundy from Married, With Children or Samantha from Samantha Who? or Jen Harding from Dead To Me.

‘Very few of you probably know me from that debut – I’m going to cry, more than I’ve been crying. Baby Burt Grizzell on Days of Our Lives. It was my breakout role. 

‘And for all these years, it’s look at that. Been an honor to play funny, flawed, complex characters like the women nominated for supporting actress in a comedy series.’

Tearful Applegate, 52, who was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2021 , arrived onstage to present the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series award

She then presented the award to The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri. Applegate is nominated in The Best Actress In A Comedy Series for Dead To Me.

For Applegate’s performance as Jen Harding in the critically-acclaimed, plot-twisting drama – she has garnered nominations for four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, four SAG Awards, and three Critics’ Choice TV Awards.

Last year Applegate said she may never act in front of a camera again amid her battle with multiple sclerosis. 

The actress, who excoriated Candace Owens after she criticized a Skims ad featuring a model in a wheelchair, has been thinking about what her future might look like – two years after her diagnosis.

‘I can’t even imagine going to set right now,’ the Emmy winner told Vanity Fair.

‘This is a progressive disease. I don’t know if I’m going to get worse,’ she explained.

Adjusting to her new life as a person with multiple sclerosis has been difficult for the star who has been acting since she was five months old. 

‘With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day. You just have little sh**ty days.’

She said: ‘Body not by Ozempic. Okay, let’s go. Some of you may know me as Kelly Bundy from Married, With Children or Samantha from Samantha Who? or Jen Harding from Dead To Me’

The star looked sensational in a red velvet dress as she arrived

Christina is nominated for her role in Dead To Me

She then presented the award to The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri. Applegate is nominated in The Best Actress In A Comedy Series for Dead To Me

The star is seen in Dead To Me as Jen Harding alongside Linda Cardellini 

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to the nerve sheaths in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can include numbness, speech impairment, difficulties with muscular coordination, blurred vision, and severe fatigue.

‘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**king sucks.’

‘I can still drive my car short distances. I can bring up food to my kid. Up, never down.’

The Bad Moms actress has turned to a friend to help her care for her daughter, Sadie, 12, whom she shares with husband Martyn LeNoble, 54.

A caretaker comes on the weekend to do what is needed. 

‘I actually don’t want to be around a lot of people because I’m immunocompromised,’ she explained. 

 The actress is pictured with daughter Sadie, 12, at the 2023 SAG Awards in February

The star was lauded online by fans for her bravery

‘I also don’t want a lot of stimulation of the nervous system because it can be a little bit too much for me. I like to keep it as quiet and as mellow as possible.’

The actress received her diagnosis in August 2021, just before production on the third and final season of Dead to Me began. 

‘None of us knew I was going to be sick and gain 40 pounds from medication and have immobility.’

‘I’m probably not going to work on-camera again, but I’m so glad that I went out with someone who is by far the greatest actress I’ve ever worked with in my entire life, if not the greatest human I’ve ever known,’ she said of her co-star Linda Cardellini, 47.  

Christina said she got good advice from her friends Jamie-Lynn Siegler and Selma Hayak, who were both diagnosed with MS several years before.

Jamie-Lynn suggested she quickly set boundaries. ‘She was like, “You need to tell them [what you need] now that you’ve let it out of the bag.”’

The veteran actress said she wish she had received that same advise when she was recovering from breast cancer after her 2008 diagnosis while shooting Samantha Who.

‘I didn’t speak up for my boundaries back then. I should have asked for some more time after one of my surgeries. I went back to work two weeks after my reconstruction. And that was really difficult for me to do.’

Christina said it has been difficult for her to watch the final season of Dead to Me.

‘I’ve only seen bits and pieces of the show because it’s a little difficult for me to watch.’

But that doesn’t mean she will give up acting altogether.  

‘I can do voiceover stuff because I have to support my family and keep my brain working.’ 

The strike-delayed ceremony gathers Hollywood’s biggest stars as they celebrate the best of primetime television over the year of 2023.

Comedian and Black-ish star Anthony Anderson will be making his debut as the host alongside an all-Black executive producer team for the first time in Emmy history.

Jason Bateman, Quinta Brunson, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Jodie Foster, Jon Hamm, Ken Jeong, Joel McHale are among the stars announced to take the stage on Monday.

And the nominees include Pedro Pascal, Hannah Waddingham, Keri Russell, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Hart, Elisabeth Moss, Kieran Culkin and Bob Odenkirk.

The awards ceremony normally occurs in September but was delayed because writers and actors were on strike at the time last year.

Due to the industry strikes, the Emmys were postponed to 2024 on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the United States and arrives in the heels of the Golden Globes.

At this year’s Emmys, Succession leads nominations with 27 nods. The series’ stars Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox are up against each other for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series. Their co-star Sarah Snook is also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama 

Like at the Globes — which celebrated 2023’s top films and television shows on January 7 — Succession dominates most categories.

At this year’s Emmys, Succession leads nominations with 27 nods. 

The Last of Us follows closely behind with 24, The White Lotus with 23, and Ted Lasso with 21. 

Succession is in the running for the Outstanding Drama Series for the third time after previously winning the title in 2020 and 2022.

The series’ stars Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong and Brian Cox are up against each other for Outstanding Lead Actor in a drama series.

Their co-star, Sarah Snook, is also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama.

The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal is up for lead actor in a drama while his co-star, Bella Ramsey, is nominated for lead actress.

Bad Sisters’ Sharon Horgan, Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey, The Handmaid’s Tale’s Elisabeth Moss and The Diplomat’s Keri Russell are also in the same category for best leading actress in a drama.

The Bear’s duo Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are also up for lead actor and supporting actress, respectively, for their roles in the restaurant dramedy’s debut season. 

The Last of Us received 24 nominations. Pedro Pascal is up for lead actor in a drama while his co-star Bella Ramsey is nominated for lead actress

The Bear duo Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri are also up for lead actor and supporting actress, respectively, for their roles in the restaurant dramedy’s debut season. Due to the industry strikes and delay, the first season of The Bear is in the contending rather than the second season, which was released this past summer

Due to the industry strikes and delay, the first season of The Bear is in the contending rather than the second season, which was released this past summer. 

For that reason, many of nominated television shows, which were released up to 19 months ago, are now receiving their moment.

Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story is up for Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series against Beef, Daisy Jones & The Six, Fleishman Is In Trouble and Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

For Outstanding Comedy Series, The Bear is up against Ted Lasso as well as Abbott Elementary, Barry, Jury Duty, Only Murders In The Building, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Wednesday.

At this year’s award show, there will be a series of cast reunions and recreations to honor and commemorate beloved, classic television series like The Sopranos, Cheers, I Love Lucy and All In The Family.

Stars from Grey’s Anatomy, American Horror Story and Ally McBeal will also reunite onstage while presenting awards at the Emmys. 

Fan-favorite comedians and presenter duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who is also nominated for Outstanding Host of a Reality or Competition Program, will also take the stage at the award ceremony.

The show will kick off at 5 p.m. PT and can be streamed live on Fox or FXX through streaming services such as Hulu + Live TV, Sling, DirecTV, YouTube TV and FuboTV. 

The day after the award ceremony, the Emmys will be available to stream on Hulu.

The first Emmy Award was held back in 1949 to celebrate the artistic and technical merit for the television industry. 

75th Primetime Emmy Awards: All the major winners

Drama Series

Andor

Better Call Saul

The Crown

House of the Dragon

The Last of Us

Succession

The White Lotus

Yellowjackets

Jennifer Coolidge seen in The White Lotus

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Actor in a Drama Series

Jeff Bridges – The Old Man

Brian Cox – Succession

Kieran Culkin – Succession

Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul

Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us

Jeremy Strong – Succession

Kieran Culkin seen in character as Roman Roy in HBO’s Succession

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Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus – WINNER

Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown

Meghann Fahy – The White Lotus

Sabrina Impacciatore – The White Lotus

Aubrey Plaza – The White Lotus

Rhea Seehorn – Better Call Saul

J Smith-Cameron – Succession

Simona Tabasco – The White Lotus

Elizabeth Debicki seen in The Crown

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Actress in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate – Dead to Me

Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary – WINNER

Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face

Jenna Ortega – Wednesday

Jenna Ortega in Wednesday

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Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Anthony Carrigan – Barry

Phil Dunster – Ted Lasso

Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso

James Marsden – Jury Duty

Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear – WINNER

Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary

Henry Winkler – Barry

James Marsden (L) in Jury Duty

 ————————————————

Limited Series

Beef

Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Daisy Jones and the Six

Fleishman Is in Trouble

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ali Wong pictured in Netflix’s Beef

————————————————— 

Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Taron Egerton – Black Bird

Kumail Nanjiani – Welcome the Chippendales

Evan Peters – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Daniel Radcliffe – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Michael Shannon – George & Tammy

Steven Yeun – Beef

Evan Peters pictured in Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

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Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Murray Bartlett – Welcome to Chippendales

Paul Walter Hauser – Black Bird

Richard Jenkins – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Joseph Lee – Beef

Ray Liotta – Black Bird

Young Mazino – Beef

Jesse Plemons – Love & Death

 ————————————————

Talk Series

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah pictured above

————————————————— 

Guest actor in a comedy series

Jon Bernthal – The Bear

Luke Kirby – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Nathan Lane – Only Murders In The Building

Pedro Pascal – Saturday Night Live

OIiver Platt – The Bear

Sam Richardson – Ted Lasso

 ————————————————

Guest actor in a drama series

Murray Bartlett – The Last Of Us

James Cromwell – Succession

Lamar Johnson – The Last Of Us

Arian Moayed – Succession

Nick Offerman – The Last Of Us

Keivonn Montreal Woodard – The Last Of Us

 ————————————————

Actor in a short form comedy or drama series

Kevin Hart – Die Hart 2: Die Harter

Tim Robinson – I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson

Ben Schwartz – Die Hart 2: Die Harter

Kevin Hart in Kevin Hart – Die Hart 2: Die Harter

 ————————————————  

Narrator

Mahershala Ali – Chimp Empire

Angela Bassett – Good Night Oppy

Morgan Freeman – Our Universe

Barack Obama – Working: What We Do All Day

Pedro Pascal – Patagonia: Life On The Edge Of The World

 ————————————————

Host, reality or competition program 

Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph – Baking It

RuPaul Charles – RuPaul’s Drag Race

Padma Lakshmi – Top Chef

Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan Frace, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness – Queer Eye

Nicole Byer – Nailed It!

———————————————— 

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

F Murray Abraham – The White Lotus

Nicholas Braun – Succession

Michael Imperioli – The White Lotus

Theo James – The White Lotus

Matthew Macfadyen – Succession – WINNER

Alan Ruck – Succession

Will Sharpe, The White Lotus

Alexander Skarsgård, Succession

Matthew Macfadyen pictured in HBO’s Succession

 —————————————————

Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Horgan – Bad Sisters

Melanie Lynskey – Yellowjackets

Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale

Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us

Keri Russell – The Diplomat

Sarah Snook – Succession

Melanie Lynskey seen in Yellowjackets

———————————————— 

Actor in a Comedy Series 

Bill Hader – Barry

Jason Segel – Shrinking

Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building

Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso

Jeremy Allen White – The Bear – WINNER

Bill Hader in Barry

———————————————— 

Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary

Barry

The Bear

Jury Duty

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Only Murders in the Building

Ted Lasso

Wednesday

Abbott Elementary cast pictured above

————————————————— 

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Alex Bornstein – The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

Ayo Edebiri – The Bear – WINNER

Janelle James – Abbott Elementary

Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary

Juno Temple – Ted Lasso 

Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso

Jessica Williams – Shrinking

Ayo Edebiri (R) seen in The Bear

—————————————————-

Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Lizzy Caplan – Fleishman Is in Trouble

Jessica Chastain – George & Tammy

Dominique Fishback – Swarm

Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things

Riley Keough, Daisy Jones and the Six

Ali Wong, Beef

Jessica Chastain in George & Tammy

————————————————— 

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie

Annaleigh Ashford – Welcome to Chippendales

Maria Bello – Beef

Claire Danes – Fleishman is in Trouble

Juliette Lewis – Welcome to Chippendales

Camila Morrone – Daisy Jones & the Six

Niecy Nash-Betts – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Camila Morrone seen in  Daisy Jones & the Six

————————————————— 

Reality Competition Program

The Amazing Race

RuPaul’s Drag Race

Survivor

Top Chef

The Voice

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK The Series 3 Tour pictured

————————————————— 

Guest actress in a comedy series

Becky Ann Baker – Ted Lasso

Quina Brunson – Saturday Night Live

Taraji P. Henson – Abbott Elementary

Judith Light – Poker Face

Sarah Niles – Ted Lasso

Harriet Walter – Ted Lasso

Quinta Brunson seen hosting SNL last April

————————————————— 

Guest actress in a drama series

Hiam Abbass – Succession

Cherry Jones – Succession

Melanie Lynskey – The Last Of Us

Storm Reid – The Last Of Us

Anna Torv – The Last Of Us

Harriet Walter – Succession

Storm Reid in The Last Of Us

———————————————–

Actress in a short form comedy or drama series

Nathalie Emmanuel – Die Hart 2: Die Harter

Jasmine Guy – Chronicles Of Jessica Wu

Paula Pell – Die Hart 2: Die Harter

———————————————— 

Character voice-over performance

Julie Andrews – Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Alex Borstein – Family Guy

Mel Brooks – History Of The World, Part II

Maya Rudolph – Big Mouth

Wanda Sykes – Crank Yankers

Ali Wong – Tuca & Bertie

Julie Andrews is the voice of Lady Whistledown in Queen Charlotte

————————————————

Scripted variety series 

A Black Lady Sketch Show

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Saturday Night Live

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