Christina Applegate opened up about a pivotal moment early in her career that led her to go under the knife. Speaking on the MeSsy podcast hosted by herself and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, the 52-year-old film star recounted how a comment from a producer about her appearance prompted her to take action when she was just 27 years old.
“I was on a show and one of the producers — [a] very famous [person] who did a very famous show as well — said, ‘Hey we’re having a lot of trouble lighting under your eyes. The bags under your eyes are so big,'” Applegate recalled on Tuesday, July 30.
Christina Applegate attends a ceremony honoring Christina Applegate with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on November 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. As radiant as her candid reveal, Christina Applegate basks in Hollywood Walk of Fame star honor.
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
Motivated by the producer’s suggestion to “get them removed,” the Dead to Me actress underwent the only plastic surgery of her life. “You know what I did? At 27 years old, the only plastic surgery I’ve ever had was to remove the bags under my eyes,” she shared openly with her listeners. Applegate went on to say that the trait was “a hereditary thing” and joked that her dad has “Louis Vuitton luggage under his eyes.”
For reference, the Golden Globe nominee had just begun her role on Jesse at the age of 27, although she didn’t specify the show during the podcast. Before this, she was well-known for her role in Married… with Children, which aired from 1987 to 1997.
The experience was marred by feelings of shame, ingrained by the producer’s harsh words. The Bad Moms icon expressed her frustration with the beauty standards imposed by the industry, reflecting on how such comments had impacted her self-perception.
Her struggles with public perception didn’t end there. In 2021, after her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, Applegate faced baseless speculations online regarding her appearance changes, which she addressed head-on. Responding to a troll on Instagram who suggested her altered looks were due to a “bad plastic surgeon,” she retorted, underlining her actual health challenges.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
