The Amazing True Story of Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate was born in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on November 25th, 1971. She was always destined to be a star, as both her parents worked in the entertainment industry. Her father, Robert William “Bobby” Applegate, was a producer at Dot Records. Her mother, Nancy Priddy, was a singer and actress.

Her parents separated shortly after her birth, and Nancy had a relationship with musician Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, and Nash fame. Christina has two half-siblings from her father’s second marriage, Alisa and Kyle.

Many well-known celebrities appeared on our screens at a young age, with many getting their start in soap operas, sitcoms, or The Mickey Mouse Club. But can you believe Christina Applegate made her debut appearance on television when she was just three months old?

In February 1972, the babe in arms appeared in her real mother, Nancy Priddy’s arms, in NBC’s popular daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives. Around the same time, baby Christina starred in a Playtex baby bottle commercial.

As Christina grew up, she trained as a dancer, studying jazz dance and ballet. In 1981, aged nine, she made her film debut in the horror film Jaws of Satan, appeared in the movie Beatlemania and TV’s Father Murphy. Two years later, the precocious 11-year-old played Grace Kelly in a TV biopic about the late actress and appeared alongside Scott Baio in Charles in Charge.

In 1985, she played a congressman’s daughter in Showtime’s political comedy Washington and the sitcom Silver Spoons.

In 1986, Christina played the cop’s daughter, Robin Kennedy, in the police drama series Heart of the City, picking up a Young Artist Award for her performance. She guest-starred in several popular TV shows — including Amazing Stories, All Is Forgiven, Still the Beaver, and Family Ties alongside Michael J. Fox.

Applegate didn’t know it yet, but she was just a year away from her breakout role. A role that would make her famous and endear her to the American public’s hearts forever.

From an early age, it was clear that the young actress had all the ingredients to become a star, but no one could have guessed that her next role would make her world-famous. In 1987, 16-year-old Christina auditioned and won the role of Kelly Bundy on a new sitcom called Married… With Children.

If you’re too young to remember the show, just imagine The Simpsons with real actors and Frank Sinatra singing “Love and Marriage” as the theme tune.

The Fox sitcom followed former Chicago high school football player turned misogynistic women’s shoe salesman Al Bundy, his lazy wife known as Peggy, his hot but airheaded and promiscuous daughter named Kelly, and his smart-aleck son Bud.

Al and Peggy Bundy — played by the always wonderful Ed O’Neil and Katey Sagal — were constantly at each other’s throats. Christina played Kelly, who was always getting herself into trouble, while David Faustino played Bud, who…. well, truth be told, no one really remembers what Bud did!

That’s because all eyes were on Kelly Bundy. Every teenage boy in America, nay — the world — was in love with Christina Applegate. Many had her poster on their bedroom walls.

They tuned in every week to ogle their favorite actress as she inevitably chewed gum and gave her dad backchat on her way out of the house to meet boys. Thanks to solid writing and a great cast that gave quirky performances, Married… With Children became a runaway success.

Married… With Children ran for 11 seasons and was remade in 24 countries. Within a few years, Christina was making $125,000 an episode! Ed O’Neill still makes $10 million a year from syndication. Its dysfunctional family changed sitcoms forever.

Christina might only have been playing the “dumb blonde” stereotype, but she did it perfectly. Other shows referenced Kelly Bundy’s good looks and ditzy personality, and New York rap band Young Black Teenagers wrote a song about Kelly Bundy, though we can’t repeat the lyrics here!

However, it wasn’t just teenagers and the Young Black Teenagers who had their eye on Kelly Bundy. In 1989, Christina Applegate dated a hunky young actor by the name of Brad Pitt! They first met at the MTV Movie Awards but only went on one date together.

Since this was the pre-internet era, newspapers and magazines reported that Christina quickly dumped Brad for another guy. That guy is rumored to be Sebastian Bach, the lead singer of the glam metal band Skid Row.

After becoming a household name in the all-American sitcom, Christina spread her wings and made the jump to the big screen. While playing Kelly Bundy, the blondie also guest-starred in 21 Jump Street alongside Johnny Depp, although… unlike Brad Pitt, she didn’t date this hunky heartthrob.

Over the next few years, she also appeared in the movies Dance ’til Dawn and Street. Kelly Bundy showed up in Married… With Children spin-off Top of the Heap, which starred Matt LeBlanc and lasted seven episodes!

In 1991, Christina starred in the black comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. In a similar vein to Home Alone, she played Sue Ellen Crandell, a 17-year-old high school student whose tyrannical babysitter, Mrs. Sturak (Eda Reiss Meri), passes away from a heart attack.

This leaves Sue Ellen to look after her gaggle of siblings while their parents vacation in Australia. Although the movie was a flop, only making $25 million at the box office, it attained cult classic status on VHS and DVD.

Christina’s star continued to rise as she played Kelly Bundy for another six years, cementing her fame but causing her to be typecast as a dumb blonde. She appeared in the movies Vibrations, Across the Moon, Wild Bill, and Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks!

However, after the iconic sitcom ended in 1997, Applegate found herself struggling to be taken seriously in any other role. But the following year, she managed to distance herself from Kelly Bundy by appearing opposite Mark Wahlberg in The Big Hit and Lloyd Bridges in Mafia!

When Married… With Children was canceled in 1997 after ​​259 episodes, the producers pitched a spin-off centered around Kelly Bundy. But, in a somewhat surprising move, Christina turned down the chance of her own spin-off series.

Though she hasn’t explicitly said so, it’s most likely because she wanted to escape being typecast. She had played the bubble-headed blonde for 10 years and knew she wanted to distance herself from her most well-known character.

Around this time, Applegate spread her wings into another business venture. Leaning into her father’s role as a record producer, Christina’s friend Robin Antin was a choreographer for the burlesque group The Pussycat Dolls. Christina helped Robin, Nicole Scherzinger, et al., get a weekly show at Johnny Depp’s Viper Room nightclub on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip.

The girl group went on to become a global hit, thanks, in part, to Christina Applegate. Bet you wish you knew that about Christina before, Don’t Cha!

Even though Christina Applegate had appeared in several movies, her first love was TV sitcoms. In 1998, just a year after Married… With Children ended, she returned to the small screen, playing a single mom in the popular sitcom Jesse.

She once revealed she drew on her own mother’s experience, trying to balance family life as a single mother while also working for a living. Applegate received much critical acclaim for her performance in Jesse and was even nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy.

Jesse was well received but didn’t last a third as long as Married… With Children. It was canceled in 2000 after two seasons and 42 episodes. Next up was the poorly received time-travel comedy Just Visiting. Applegate played 12th-century noblewoman Princess Rosalind and her 21st-century descendant, Julia Malfete.

It flopped, and Christina desperately needed a win. That win came playing Cameron Diaz’s level-headed best friend, Courtney Rockcliffe, in 2001’s The Sweetest Thing. And that wasn’t Christina’s only win of the year…

In the late 1990s, Christina met hunky actor Johnathon Schaech. The two fell in love and tied the knot in Palm Springs, California, on October 20th, 2001. Johnathon had played the lead role in Franco Zeffirelli’s period drama Sparrow, wooed Winona Ryder in How to Make an American Quilt, and appeared opposite Tom Hanks in That Thing You Do!

The two actors seemed to make a perfect Hollywood couple. Christina wanted to have children, but none arrived.

In 2002, the newlywed actress starred alongside Gwyneth Paltrow in the successful comedy A View From the Top. Two years later, she proved the perfect foil to funnyman Will Ferrell, playing beautiful news anchor Veronica Corningstone in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

This time, her character was still blonde, but Veronica Corningstone was independent and intelligent, characteristics Christina probably insisted on to avoid playing “dumb blondes.”

Next up, Christina guest-starred as Rachel Green’s sister in Friends. She played Jennifer Aniston’s sibling in “The One with Rachel’s Other Sister” and “The One Where Rachel’s Sister Babysits,” winning the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

After appearing in the crime film Wonderland, Christina appeared with Ben Affleck in the holiday comedy Surviving Christmas and Matt Dillon in Employee of the Month. But behind the scenes, Christina’s life was heading for the rocks…

Even though Christina’s career was flying high, winning critical acclaim and awards, behind closed doors, her marriage to Jonathan Schaech was falling apart. By 2005, it became clear that the marriage was a mistake, and Johnathon filed for divorce in December of that year, citing irreconcilable differences. They were divorced two years later.

The couple amicably split their property. According to court filings, Applegate, who was worth $6 million, kept their Los Angeles homes and the Lexus while Johnathon kept his Mercedes and, bizarrely, his cement Buddha statue!

While her divorce was coming through, Christia met a skateboarding fisherman and aspiring photographer named Lee Grivas through one of her colleagues on the Broadway show Sweet Charity. They started dating and soon fell in love. But the relationship proved to be rocky, as Applegate disapproved of his struggles with illicit substances and adult beverages.

Christina repeatedly broke up with Lee because she couldn’t watch him ruin his life. The couple decided to give it one last shot when Grivas made another attempt at getting clean.

Tragically, Lee Grivas passed away from using illicit substances on July 1st, 2008. He was just 26 years old when he was found deceased in his apartment. In a statement to Us magazine, Applegate said, “I am profoundly saddened. Lee was an incredible human being who was an extremely important and beautiful part of my life.”

Christina continued, “He is missed beyond words. He touched so many, and I feel much sadness for his mother, father, brother, and all of his family and friends.”

Applegate returned to TV in the sitcom Samantha Who? playing a woman with amnesia who couldn’t remember what a mean girl she used to be! Christina received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress in a TV Series Musical or Comedy.

However, Samantha Who? was canned after just two seasons. Next, she co-starred with Will Arnett as new parents in Up All Night, which also lasted for two seasons.

In 2008, Christina was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily, doctors caught the cancer early, and after undergoing a double mastectomy, she received the all-clear. However, the actress had inherited the RCA1 genetic mutation from her cancer-surviving mother, which increased the risk of ovarian cancer.

Christina decided to also have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. When she first was diagnosed, the actress said, “I was just shaking and then, also immediately, I had to go into ‘take-care-of-business mode,’ which included a change to a more healthy diet.”

Back in 2003, Christina became a spokesperson for Lee National Denim Day, which has raised money and awareness for breast cancer education and research. However, after Christina survived her own breast cancer ordeal, she wanted to help other women with this terrible disease. First, she appeared on the television special Stand Up to Cancer.

After receiving the all-clear, the actress set up the Right Action for Women Foundation, a charitable foundation dedicated to raising awareness for MRI scans and helping fund those women who can’t afford early monitoring.

After her brush with cancer, Christina gingerly opened up her heart to love again. In 2009, the actress began dating Dutch musician Martyn LeNoble. He played bass, guitar, cello, and keyboards and played bass in rock bands Janes’ Addiction, P*rno for Pyros, and The Cult.

After losing her ex-boyfriend and her health scare, Christina Applegate genuinely deserved to find true love, and it looks like she found it. Christina and Martyn fell in love, and he asked her to marry him on Valentine’s Day 2010. Awww, what a romantic!

There was even better news on the horizon when Applegate announced she was pregnant in 2010. Christina and Martyn LeNoble welcomed their first child in January 2011. It was a daughter, and they named her Sadie Grace. The happy couple and new parents married two years later in Los Angeles in February 2013.

Martyn also has a daughter, Marlon, from a previous relationship. Christina acts as Marlon’s stepmother and was delighted when her stepdaughter graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2019.

In 2013, after doctors gave her the all-clear, Christina threw herself back into her career. On top of raising her daughter, the actress reprised her role as news anchor Veronica Corningstone in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

In 2014, she voiced Mary Beth in the animated musical fantasy film The Book of Life. In 2015, Applegate appeared in the National Lampoon sequel Vacation and, the following year, in the comedies Bad Moms and Bad Moms at Christmas.

In July 2018, Christina co-starred with Linda Cardellini in Netflix’s dark comedy series Dead to Me. She and Cardellini play two grieving widows who bond during therapy. Applegate also executive-produced the series with Will Ferrell.

Applegate received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. The hugely popular and critically acclaimed Netflix series ran for three seasons and was finally canceled in 2022.

In August 2021, during the second season of Dead to Me, Christina Applegate announced on Twitter that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. MS is a chronic inflammatory condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves.

She bravely wrote, “Hi friends, a few months ago I was diagnosed with MS. It’s been a strange journey. But I have been so supported by people that I know who also have this condition. It’s been a tough road. But as we all know, the road keeps going.”

MS hugely affected her ability to perform in Dead to Me’s final season, but Christina battled through her harrowing condition to appear in the final season. It couldn’t have been easy, but our girl Christina is strong as an ox and completed the series.

After filming her final scenes, Christina thanked her co-star Linda Cardellini and showrunner Liz Feldman for their considerable support. They made many adjustments so the ailing actress could complete her filming schedule.

On November 14th, 2022, just months after her MS diagnosis, Christina received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Applegate’s star was placed next to her Married… With Children on-screen dad, Ed O’Neill’s star and co-stars Katey Sagal and David Faustino were there to celebrate.

At the unveiling, Applegate said, “The most important person in this world is my daughter. You are so much more than even you know. You are so beautiful and kind and loving and smart and interesting.”

As Christina used her influence to spread the word to help her fellow MS sufferers, she admitted she probably wouldn’t be able to act on camera but that she’d be open to voiceover work. When Applegate made a rare appearance at 2024’s Emmy Awards Ceremony, she received an emotional, rapturous standing ovation.

Later in 2024, Christina started her own podcast, MeSsy, with fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, who also has multiple sclerosis. The podcast is about their friendship based on their MS diagnoses.

Christina Applegate shrugged off being typecast as Kelly Bundy to forge a career as one of Hollywood’s most talented actresses. And she did it all while overcoming grief, cancer, and MS. So what’s her secret? Christina says it’s staying positive and remembering to laugh.

She revealed to US Weekly, “I have to, or else I’ll just cry all the time. Laughter is so healing […] I think that it frees up your body to heal, too. Humor has always gotten me through the toughest of times.”

There’s just one more little thing to clear up before we leave. Remember how Christina’s Married… With Children character Kelly Bundy was a ditzy, promiscuous teenager? Well, years later, Applegate revealed that Kelly wasn’t half as ‘experienced’ as you may have believed.

Christina confessed, “I guess I had to play her as a genius. You know, in her own mind, she’s a genius — and a virgin, actually.” So, there we have it. Proof that you should never, ever judge a book by its cover.