When Christina Applegate walked the red carpet at the Screen Actor Guild Awards in February, she sent a strong message to her 2021 MS diagnosis: “FU MS” read the letters on her cane.

That symbol of defiance in the face of multiple sclerosis has inspired a new collaboration between the actress, 51, and Neo Walk, the UK walking stick company that custom designed her SAG cane.

The special edition cane (“FU MS” is written on a removable tag; a removable metal collar can be personalized with any message) is now available at neo-walk.com for £120 (about $150), with 5% of the profits going to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America and the UK’s MS Society.

Applegate first learned of Neo Walk — founded by Lyndsay Watterson, who is an amputee — from her friend Selma Blair, who also lives with MS. “I saw Selma’s canes and fell in love with them,” Applegate says. “If I need to have a mobility aid, I might as well have a cool one. Lyndsay and I became friends and we decided to create one together that benefits the community.”

The collaboration, a clear acrylic cane which features a black DNA strand weaving through the center (which “symbolizes the invisible differences people have with chronic illness,” Watterson says), is one of the few projects Applegate has taken on recently.

After wrapping her Netflix series Dead to Me late last year, the actress has said she decided to step away from acting to deal with the effects of her MS, telling the Los Angeles Times earlier this year that her SAG award appearance was “my last awards show as an actor probably, so it’s kind of a big deal. Right now, I couldn’t imagine getting up at 5 a.m. and spending 12 to 14 hours on a set; I don’t have that in me at this moment.”

Instead, Applegate, who has been raw and open about the struggles she’s endured with the illness, is prioritizing her health, a friend tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “Christina needs to focus on herself right now,” the friend says. “What she chooses to share with the public is very real and in her own time, but her energy and focus right now needs to be on taking care of herself and her family as she learns how to live with MS. MS affects everyone differently so she needs to tune into what works for her and what triggers her flare ups.”

But, the friend adds: “Christina is one of the strongest people I know and also one of the most caring and generous, so it doesn’t surprise me at all that she took time to collaborate and create a design that reflects her attitude and will also benefit others.”

Source: People

Christina Applegate is nominated for her role as Jen Harding on Dead to Me at the 75th Emmy Awards!

Lead Actress In A Comedy Series

Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)

Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)

Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face”)

Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”)

As for now, FOX is slated to air the 75th Primetime Emmys on Monday, September 18, produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. But as Variety reported on Monday, the WGA strike and potential SAG-AFTRA strike will likely push the telecast to either November (the TV Academy’s choice) or January (when Fox would like to air it). A host has not yet been named.

Christina Applegate is nominated at the 2023 HCA TV Awards for her role as Jen Harding on Dead To Me! Due to the ongoing WGA strike and the SAG/AFTRA strike looming, winners of the 2023 HCA TV Awards will no longer be presented on August 12th and August 13th. Presentation of the HCA TV Awards Winners is TBD.

Best Actress in a Streaming Comedy Series
Christina Applegate – Dead to Me (Netflix)
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday (Netflix)
Kim Fields – The Upshaws (Netflix)
Maya Rudolph – Loot (Apple TV+)
Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)
Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Tatiana Maslany – She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney+)

Source: Awards Radar

Christina Applegate and Dead To Me have been nominated at the 2023 Gold Derby TV awards! Fans get to cast their votes for their favorites! Head over to Gold Derby now and vote – voting is open until July 28th!

COMEDY ACTRESS:
Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere”
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”

COMEDY SERIES:
“Abbott Elementary”
“Barry”
“The Bear”
“Dead to Me”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Reservation Dogs”
“Ted Lasso”

COMEDY EPISODE:
“Barry” – “It Takes a Psycho”
“The Bear” – “Review”
“Dead to Me” – “We’ve Reached the End”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” – “Four Minutes”
“The Other Two” – “Cary and Brooke Go to an AIDS Play”
“Reservation Dogs” – “Mabel”

Source: Gold Derby

It’s rare to find a televised female friendship that can deal with dead husbands, car crashes and other wild plot twists the way Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini’s “Dead to Me” characters do. Through years of filming the tragicomedy, the two actors learned to deeply trust each other. When Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis while filming the last season, their bond only intensified.

In this episode of “The Envelope,” Applegate and Cardellini laugh, sob, describe why they love each other and ponder the possibility of working together again. They also discuss the importance of flawed-mom characters and recall how they were allowed to improvise lines until things got way too weird. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

Yvonne Villarreal: Hello, and welcome to “The Envelope,” where we bring you in-depth conversations with the creative talents behind your favorite shows and movies. I’m one of your hosts, Yvonne Villarreal.

Mark Olsen: And I’m your other host, Mark Olsen. Who did you talk with this week, Yvonne?

Villarreal: Oh, Mark, I’m warning you now, get your tissues ready. I spoke with the two women behind my favorite will they/won’t they get caught friendship: I’m talking about “Dead to Me’s” Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini.

Both women have memorably graced our screens separately. Christina, of course, is known for projects like “Married … With Children,” “The Sweetest Thing” and “Anchorman,” while Linda, of course, has starred in “Freaks and Geeks,” “Brokeback Mountain” and “Scooby-Doo.” With Netflix’s dark comedy, they both have been nominated for Emmys for their performances as two women who strike an unlikely friendship.

Christina plays Jen Harding, a recent widow, and Linda plays Judy Hale, the woman who accidentally killed Jen’s husband in a hit-and-run. They meet in group therapy and become fast friends who then navigate the chaotic aftermath in a way only two besties can. The recent third season was the show’s last, and as anyone who watched it can tell you, it was an emotional and hilarious ride to the end — just like my conversation with them.

Olsen: Yvonne, I had no idea that was the actual storyline of that show.

Villarreal: It’s a weird meet-cute for a friendship, but somehow they make it work.

Olsen: I can only imagine. Now, the show itself dives head on into dealing with grief, on top of Christina herself facing an MS [multiple sclerosis] diagnosis while filming this season.

Villarreal: It was very powerful to hear their experiences while filming. “Dead to Me” may be ending, but the BFF era of Christina and Linda remains in full effect with the genuine love and support they give each other, which was very clear in our conversation. So let’s get into it.

Villarreal: It’s been some time since the final season of “Dead to Me” wrapped, and audiences have said goodbye to the story, but how has it been for you to move on from your characters? Linda, why don’t we start with you?

Applegate: Yeah, always start with Linda.

Cardellini: I miss it. I miss her, and it’s really nice to have an opportunity to talk about it. But I miss seeing everybody every day, all our friends. There was something so special about the show and the characters we played and the friendships we had. So I do miss it, but I’m so happy to revisit it with everybody today, really.

Applegate: Yeah, I needed the break, so for me, at first it was a good relief to just breathe and kind of focus on what had just happened. But I miss Linda so much it’s crazy. I don’t even know what to tell you.

Villarreal: I was going to say, does it feel any more different or jarring from finishing other projects?

Applegate: Absolutely. For me, absolutely. She’s like my best friend.

Cardellini: Well, and also I think we had a long time together too. It was like going to school and then having summer break and then getting back to school and seeing, you know, being with everybody again. But we had a beautiful thing. That’s the good news. Like to leave something and to have had such a beautiful experience. And the last season, it was tough, but I think we’re all so proud of it too.