“Thank you so much, oh my god,” she said while overcome with emotion. She then jokingly told the crowd that they were “body shaming” her by standing up, referencing her diagnosis. “Some of you may know me as Kelly Bundy from Married With Children, or Samantha from Samantha Who or probably my last job as Jen Harding from Dead to Me,” she said onstage. “But very few of you know me from that debut baby Burt Grizzell on Days of Our Lives… It’s been an honor to play funny, flawed complex characters.”
In August 2021, Applegate revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis on her personal Twitter page. “It’s been a strange journey,” she wrote at the time. “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. Unless some a******* blocks it.”
She also discussed her diagnosis during her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in November 2022. In her acceptance speech, Applegate said, “Oh, by the way, I have a disease. Did you not notice? I’m not wearing shoes!” At the time, she walked with a cane as well.