Christina Applegate steals the show at the 75th Emmy Awards

Following the perceived contempt for the movies from Golden Globes’ host Jo Koy, who notably complained about the length of Oppenheimer in his widely derided monologue, audiences probably felt a welcome relief at the opening of the Primetime Emmy Awards. Host Anthony Anderson reassured the crowd at the top of the show that he loves television, celebrating some of TV’s most iconic series (Good Times, Facts Of Life, and Miami Vice) in his monologue. But it was another television veteran who stole the Emmys opening: Christina Applegate, making her first major appearance since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021.

Applegate’s appearance as the night’s first presenter was well in keeping with the historic 75th Emmys broadcast. As Anderson noted, Applegate grew up on television. Literally: her first ever TV role was as an infant alongside her mother on Days Of Our Lives before playing the teen daughter on Married… With Children. Emmy viewers got a glimpse of baby Applegate on the big screen, but adult Applegate, herself a nominee for the final season of Dead To Me, commanded the stage.

Emotional at the warm welcome she received from the Hollywood crowd, her comedic stylings were sharp enough to make you wish she was the night’s host. “Oh my God, you’re totally shaming me with disability by standing up,” she cracked after getting a standing ovation, joking that her body is “not by Ozempic” and telling the crowd that they don’t have to applaud for every single thing she said. From the strong opening to announcing the winner of the category (Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series) by declaring, “Ayo, get your ass up here,” Applegate had the theater eating out of the palm of her hand.

It’s a good idea, at an awards show, to actually celebrate the thing that the ceremony is meant to celebrate. And what better time to celebrate television than the Emmys’ historic 75th broadcast? From Ayo Edeberi’s win, Applegate passed the stage over to TV legend Carol Burnett, who presented Lead Actress in a Comedy Series to Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson—an incredible set of television stars new and old, and a great way to kick off the Emmys.