Christina Applegate: ‘I’m Being as Honest and Raw as I Can’

WITH AN EMOTIONAL NEW MEMOIR, THE STAR LAYS BARE HER JOURNEY—FROM A TUMULTUOUS UPBRINGING MARKED BY INSTABILITY AND ABUSE TO A LIFE-ALTERING MS DIAGNOSIS—AND HOW SHE’S FOUND RESILIENCE, HUMOR AND HEALING THROUGH IT ALL

- JULIE JORDAN

Christina Applegate isn’t wearing any pants. It’s one of the first things she reveals after hopping on a Zoom call for this cover story from her California king bed in her house in L.A. Her bedroom has become somewhat of a sanctuary since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, as she spends a good portion of each day on or in her bed because it’s too painful to move around. Her routine with daughter Sadie, 15, whom she shares with her husband, musician Martyn LeNoble, 56, is less forgiving because of the need for rides to school and activities. “I want to take her; it’s my favorite thing to do. It’s the only time we have together by ourselves,” Applegate says. “I tell myself, ‘Just get her there safely and get home so you can get back into bed.’ And that’s what I do.”

What's in a Name? The actress (at home on Jan. 9) says her closest friends call her "Kiki" (short for "Kilikina"), a name given to her in Hawaii.

Ironically, being confined to her bedroom has allowed the actress, dancer and producer, 54, a newfound freedom to be unfiltered when it comes to her own journey. “My life isn’t wrapped up with a bow,” says Applegate, who hosts the podcast MeSsy along with friend and fellow actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (who also has MS). “People’s lives, sorry for lack of a better term, f---ing suck sometimes. So I’m being as honest and raw as I possibly can.” That starts with her new memoir