Beloved star and Emmy-winning actress Christina Applegate’s raw and darkly funny memoir illuminates the life of a childhood star, turned iconic comedic actress, turned tenacious example of how to find the beauty in our messy lives.

Christina Applegate came of age on sets and stages, expected to be on time, with lines learned, ready for lights-camera-action. Performing began as a financial necessity and became an emotional escape from a tumultuous home life in the infamous Laurel Canyon scene of the 1970s and 80s. She first gained stardom as an audience favorite playing Kelly Bundy in the sitcom Married…with Children and went on to captivate a vast fandom during her five-decade long career.

In You with the Sad Eyes, Applegate will unveil the full story of her years in the public eye, and the painful moments the public didn’t see. She writes about gravitating to the grunge that defined the 90s and finding belonging in the legendary scene at The Viper Room; sparkling on set with fellow comedy icons in the soon to be canonized franchise Anchorman; sharing her love of dance in the Broadway revival of Sweet Charity; and returning to the Emmy stage to a standing ovation in 2024 after her diagnosis of MS. She’ll dive into the darker moments underpinning her outward her relationship with her mother who fought addiction and won, even in the wake of her father’s abandonment; the self-doubt and body dysmorphia that have dogged her from a young age; and the abuse and depression that eroded her health. Her path is ever lit though, by lifelong friends, chosen family, and her experience as a mother. By working through her legacy on the page, Applegate invites readers to take her hand and hear a story not even those closest to her know fully.

You with the Sad Eyes boldly presents a formidable and iconoclastic woman who has had to let go of her acting career, of her ability to dance, of her sense of physical power, but has always fought to find a new and even more fulfilling way of being. The pain will be matched by the joy, the losses mitigated by the extraordinary, the weight of life lifted by Applegate’s signature comedic genius.

In her own words, “I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone. That’s why I’m doing this. You with the Sad Eyes won’t be some big violin scratching for my life. But it will be real. It will be filled with the ups and downs, the humor and grief of life.

So here I am.

Real me.

Lots to say.”

I have loved Christina Applegate since Married With Children, but “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” is when I knew that she was a badass. I’ve loved her in everything she’s done. “The Sweetest Thing” (which is seriously one of the BEST movies ever-Fight me), “Samantha Who”, “Anchorman”, ” Dead to Me”. You name it, I’ve probably seen it. When she had to stop acting because of her battle with MS, I was devastated for her. I knew this book would be a must read for me, so I immediately ordered a copy when it was announced. It did not disappoint.

Christina grew up on sets and stages, performing as a way to make money when she was a kid, but it eventually became an escape from her chaotic home life. She was part of the Laurel Canyon scene in the 70s and 80s, which was wild and messy. She got famous playing Kelly Bundy on “Married with Children” and went on to have a career that’s spanned five decades.

But this book isn’t just about her career. It’s about everything underneath. There’s a lot of stuff in here that I (and the rest of the public) didn’t know. We hear about her relationship with her mother, who struggled with addiction but eventually got sober, and her father, who abandoned them when Christina was young. We also hear about even tougher things like the self-doubt and body dysmorphia that followed her from a young age. There’s also abuse and the depression that eventually eroded her health. She also writes about gravitating to the grunge scene in the 90s and finding her people at The Viper Room. Working with comedy legends in Anchorman, dancing on Broadway in Sweet Charity, her time on various sets, relationships with other A-listers and returning to the Emmy stage in 2024 to a standing ovation after being diagnosed with MS.

I loved her before, but I have so much more respect for her now than ever. She has had a rough life, yet she perseveres, and I honestly can’t imagine the strength it takes. From abuse to body image issues to eating disorders to breast cancer and now MS, she’s fought it all. I can’t even imagine going through what she had to go through.

What makes this book so powerful is how honest she is. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and she doesn’t act like she’s some perfect example of resilience. She’s just a person who kept going even when things got impossibly hard. The book is also lit by the people who’ve been there for her. Lifelong friends, chosen family, and her experience as a mother. Those relationships are beautifully woven throughout the story, and really show how the right people can make all the difference in our lives.

This book is so powerful and made me really think about how lucky I am. I’ve been through heartache and set back, but nothing like this. It’s very inspiring. Even though the book covers a lot of pain and disappointment and loss, it’s also about finding meaning even when everything you thought defined you gets taken away.

I listened and read at the same time. She narrates it herself, and there are so many times she brought tears to my eyes. Hearing her voice tell her own story added another layer of emotion. You can hear the pain, but you can also hear the strength and her wry sense of humor is also there in spades.

If you want to read about the epitome of strength, read this book. And if you’re a fan of Christina Applegate and want to understand the full story of who she is beyond what you’ve seen on screen, don’t miss this one. She’s been through a lot, but she’s so inspiring. I love her even more after reading this.

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