The Emmys began with an emotional and celebratory start when Christina Applegate received a standing ovation.
Following host Anthony Anderson’s opening monologue, he announced Christina as the presenter for the first award of the night, Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. He noted the celeb, who was nominated for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Dead to Me, had been acting since she was 1.
After Anthony went over to walk Christina to the mic, the audience rose to their feet.
The reason for the standing ovation, while not directly stated, may be in recognition of Christina living with multiple sclerosis after being diagnosed in 2021.
“Thank you so much. Oh my god, you’re totally shaming me [and my] disability by standing up,” a tearful Christina said before presenting the award. “It’s fine. OK. Body not by Ozempic. OK let’s go.”
Christina then ran through her most well-known TV roles, mentioning Married… with Children (“We don’t have to applaud every time I do something”); Samantha Who?; and Dead to Me, before noting her debut role.
“I’m gonna cry more than I’ve been crying,” she said, noting she got her “breakout role” as a baby on Days of Our Lives. She later added, “It’s been an honor to play funny, flawed, [and] complex characters like the women nominated for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.”
Christina announced Ayo Edebiri as the winner for her work on The Bear, and the two hugged on stage.
Christina has previously opened up about her diagnosis and the impact it had on her work, specifically Season 3 of Dead to Me. In November of 2022, she discussed with the New York Times the show shutting down for five months following her initial diagnosis. “There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” she said. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”