Christina Applegate surprised Emmy Awards attendees and fans watching at home when she graced the show's stage Monday evening to present the evening's first prize.
The actor walked to the microphone using a cane and with the help of host Anthony Anderson amid a roaring standing ovation from the audience, leaving the 52-year-old star visibly emotional as her colleagues loudly cheered.
Applegate's public appearances have become a rarity since she announced her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in August 2021, which she seemed to poke at after thanking the crowd for their love.
"Oh my god, you're totally shaming me with disability by standing up. It's fine …Body not by Ozempic," the actress told the applauding audience in Los Angeles' Peacock Theater, poking fun at the Type 2 diabetes drug that's now being used as a weight loss treatment.
The actor ran through some of her popular characters to continued cheers, to which she said, "We don't have to applaud every time I do something."
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"I'm going to cry more than I've been crying," she said before presenting the award for best supporting actress in a comedy series to "The Bear" star Ayo Edebiri.
Applegate had previously said the SAG Awards hosted last February would likely be the last she'd attend as an actor due to her neurological illness, but she came to Monday's Emmy Awards as more than just an attendee and presenter; she was also nominated for lead actress in comedy series for her role in Netflix's "Dead to Me." That award ultimately went to Abbott Elementary's Quinta Brunson.
Applegate received her diagnosis while filming the final season of the comedy series, which aired in November 2022 after pausing filming while she received treatment.
Ahead of receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that same month, Applegate told Variety the filming process for that season was as "hard as you would possibly think it would be" due to the disease. Months later, she told Vanity Fair she doesn't expect to work as an actor again due to the strain it would have on her body, but she does plan on taking on other roles in Hollywood.
"I can't even imagine going to set right now," she said. "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."
