The actress, who was nominated for her performance on 'Dead to Me,' teared up after taking the stage.
Christina Applegate teared up after taking the stage at the 2023 Emmy Awards and receiving a standing ovation.
On Monday, the Dead to Me actress was the first presenter for the 75th annual ceremony and was overcome with emotion by the crowd's raucous cheering as the theme song from Married With Children played over her entrance.
Applegate -- who began in the entertainment industry as a baby -- used a cane to walk out amid her MS battle and thanked the crowd before using her signature biting wit to tell the audience to pipe down so they could stay on schedule.
"Thank you so much, oh my god. You're totally shaming me with a disability by standing up, it's fine," she said, causing the audience to burst out into laughter. "Body not by Ozempic."
Applegate was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Jen Harding in the Netflix series, a role which she mentioned in her speech after running through several of her iconic jobs.
"Some of you may know me as Kelly Bundy from Married With Children," Applegate said before telling the crowd to stop clapping. "We don't have to applaud every time I do something. Or Samantha from Samantha Who? or probably from my last job, as Jen Harding on Dead to Me. But very few of you probably know me from that debut -- oh I'm going to cry more than I've already cried -- Baby Burt Grizzell on Days of Our Lives."
Ultimately, Applegate lost the award to Quinta Brunson, who took home the Emmy for her work as Janine Teagues on Abbott Elementary.
The actress' Emmy's appearance is her first since 2020, when she popped up on the virtual telecast. She last attended the ceremony in-person in 2019. Monday's appearance, however, was the first since Applegate was diagnosed with MS in 2021.
It's a night Applegate didn't think she'd have, as she previously predicted that she wouldn't attend another awards show as an actor.
"It’s my last awards show as an actor probably, so it’s kind of a big deal," Applegate told the Los Angeles Times of the 2023 SAG Awards. "Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5:00 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set; I don’t have that in me at this moment."
That awards show came shortly thereafter, and Applegate stepped out wearing a long, velvet tuxedo-inspired gown, which she paired with a black-and-white cane with the hashtag "FU MS" written at the bottom.
Back in May, Applegate discussed the toll MS has taken on her life and career, admitting in an interview with Vanity Fair, "It f**king sucks."
"With the disease of MS, it's never a good day. You just have little s**tty days," she said. "... There are just certain things that people take for granted in their lives that I took for granted."
As for her career, she noted, "I can't even imagine going to set right now. This is a progressive disease. I don't know if I'm going to get worse. I can do voiceover stuff because I have to support my family and keep my brain working."
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, originally set to take place last September, was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. Hosted by Anthony Anderson at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the ceremony will air live Monday, Jan. 15 at 5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and will be streamed Tuesday, Jan. 16 on Hulu. Keep checking ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage and for the full winners' list.
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