After years of holding out, Christina Applegate gave in this week and joined Instagram with her first post on the social media site.
The 53-year-old Dead To Me star, who had been on X (formerly Twitter) going back to 2009, inaugurated her Instagram account with a striking black-and-white photo of herself and a ‘real, raw, honest’ caption about making the major change.
Applegate — who was hospitalized earlier this year — kicked off her account amid her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS), which she was diagnosed with in 2021.
She announced in 2023 that the physical symptoms of the autoimmune disease were devastating enough for her to pause on-screen acting work, though she signaled plans to continue doing voice-acting work.
In her first-ever Instagram post, Applegate shared a moody black-and-white picture of herself in which she gazed into the camera.
She wore a white V-neck T-shirt partially tucked into a pair of dark jeans, and she wore multiple necklaces, including one with a crescent moon–shaped pendant, and multiple bracelets.
Christina Applegate, 53, celebrated her first-ever post on Instagram on Thursday as she promised to give a ‘real, raw, honest’ look at her life
The development comes amid her battle with multiple sclerosis (MS), which she was diagnosed with in 2021; pictured in LA in April
The Married With Children star styled her blond hair in messy waves that cascaded down her shoulders.
‘Hi everyone, Christina here. If you told me a year ago that I’d be on Instagram, I would have said, F*** off!’ she wrote to open her caption. ‘But here I am, so I’m going to do it my way. Real, raw, honest.’
She described the attached photo as her ‘favorite picture’ of herself recently, which was taken by her ‘lifelong friend,’ the film producer Sam Sarkar.
Applegate, who jokingly offered ‘Apologies for the half tuck of the shirt,’ added that it was snapped ‘in my backyard with the chimes that remind me of my mother and a moon necklace from a dear witchy friend.’
She also shared a link to the post on her X account, writing, ‘Guys, my first ever Instagram post is up. I’m going to be posting a lot about my book journey and other personal stuffs. Hope you’ll follow.
She also reminded her fans that her upcoming memoir is titled You With The Sad Eyes.
Applegate announced the impending release of the book earlier this year and revealed that she decided to write it after finding herself with plenty of free time after she was forced to step back from acting due to her MS symptoms.
‘My true colors will be out next March for all to see!’ she added.
Applegate shared a raw-looking black-and-white photo of herself and promised to share more about her life and her upcoming memoir with her fans; pictured with daughter Sadie Grace LeNoble in February 2023 in LA
Applegate announced the impending release of the book earlier this year and revealed that she decided to write it after finding herself with plenty of free time after she was forced to step back from acting due to her MS symptoms; seen in November 2022 in Hollywood
In a follow-up tweet, she urged her fans to follow her, adding ‘It’s all new to me there.’
Applegate got plenty of supportive comments on her first Instagram post, including from Sopranos star Jamie Lynn Sigler, who also has MS. ‘Look at this!❤️’
Minka Kelly wrote that she was ‘Happy to see you here ❤️,’ and Carmen Electra added that she was ‘excited your here 😍😍[sic].’
‘Hell yes,’ cheered Kaitlyn Bristowe.
Applegate went on to share a black-and-white follow-up video that she appeared to have filmed in bed to her Instagram Stories.
‘I’m not really a selfie person, so pardon me. Thank you so much for coming on to the Instagram with me,’ she said. ‘I’ve seen your comments. Thank you so much for the love that you are showing me. I love you all of you guys so much and I appreciate you.
She added that she was excited for her fans to finally get to read her upcoming memoir, which represented her ‘life,’ with ‘the good, the bad the ugly and the in-between.’
Applegate revealed in August 2021 that she had been diagnosed with MS earlier that year.
Applegate thanked her fans for their kind words and for joining her on Instagram in a follow-up video that she appeared to have shot from her bed
Applegate said in 2023 that she was stepping back from acting, but she made an exception for voice acting, including her work on an upcoming revival of her series Married With Children, which will feature all four original leads; (L–R)) Katey Saga, David Faustino, Ed O’Neill and Applegate pictured on Married With Children
In people who have the autoimmune disease, myelin covering nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord is damaged.
The damaged myelin slows down the brains signals to the rest of the body, and suffers can exhibit muscle weakness, lack of coordination, vision problems and potential cognitive issues.
Applegate shared that her symptoms rapidly became so debilitating that it was difficult for her to film the third and final season of her popular Netflix dramedy Dead To Me.
The series released its final episodes in November 2022, after producers adjusted the shooting schedule to accommodate Apple’s condition.
She announced the following year that she didn’t plan to continue appearing in films or on television shows, though she didn’t rule out voice work, which would be less physically demanding.
One project that she’s still attached to is an animated revival of her popular sitcom Married With Children, which aired from 1987 to 1997 on Fox.
The revival will feature the return of the original cast, including Ed O’Neill as Al Bundy, Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy and David Faustino as Bud Bundy.
